Widespread condemnation after Turkish Drone strike kills two Kurdish journalists

Shafaq News/ Two Kurdish journalists were killed in a Turkish drone strike on Friday, sparking widespread condemnation and calls for an end to Turkish military operations in northern Iraq, according to a joint statement by the Kurdistan Journalists Syndicate and the Metro Center.

The journalists, Hero Bahaadin and Kolstan Tara were working for Sterk TV, a Kurdish TV channel licensed by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). They were killed when a Turkish drone targeted their vehicle on the road between al-Sulaymaniyah and Said Sadiq, approximately 60 kilometers east of al-Sulaymaniyah.

"We strongly condemn this criminal act that led to the assassination of journalists Hero Bahaadin and Kolstan Tara," the statement said. "This is not the first time that Turkish forces have targeted journalists."

In July, a Turkish airstrike killed journalist Murad Mirza and injured two others in Sinjar.

"We call on both the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Iraqi government to exert maximum efforts, whether through diplomatic or other means available to the governments, to pressure the Turkish government to prevent such violations committed by the Turkish army against journalists and civilians," the statement added.

The Kurdistan Journalists Syndicate and the Metro Center demanded an immediate investigation into the killings and called for an end to Turkish military operations in northern Iraq.