ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – A military commander said two people were killed in the Sinjar (Shingal) district of Iraq’s northern Nineveh province on Sunday, following a reported Turkish airstrike.
Haider Shasho, commander of the Ezidikhan Protection Forces, told Rudaw the strike hit a vehicle near Mount Shingal killing both passengers.
Rojnews, an outlet affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), blamed Turkey. It did not provide any casualty figures.
Ankara often targets Shingal on the grounds of hitting PKK forces which rule Shingal through its offshoots, mainly the Shingal Resistance Units (YBS).
Shingal, the Yezidi homeland, is part of the disputed areas claimed by Baghdad and Erbil. In addition to the Ezidikhan Protection Forces, the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga, Iraqi security forces, and pro-Iran militias control parts of the district.
Turkey has not commented on the incident.
Security vacuums after the Islamic State (ISIS) was declared militarily defeated in 2017 remain across several provinces including Kirkuk, Salahaddin, Nineveh, and Diyala.
Sirwan Abbas contributed to this report
