ERBIL — Turkish security forces in a drone attack overnight targeted a vehicle of an armed group affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), killing two amid the country's expanding operations against the PKK.
The drone attack happened in the subdistrict of Snune near the Yezidi hometown of Sinjar. The vehicle belonged to the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBS), an offshoot group of the PKK, according to a statement from Kurdistan Region's Counter-Terrorism Unit.
The persistent conflict spanning decades between Turkey and the PKK has significantly affected the Kurdistan Region, leading to numerous civilian casualties, the displacement of thousands of villages, and the abandonment of multiple mountain resorts and valuable agricultural land.
On Monday, Turkey's National Defense Ministry announced its forces "neutralized" six fighters of the Kurdistan Workers' Party in the Kurdistan Region. Ankara uses the term "neutralize" to imply actions like killing or surrendering in the context of its military operations against the PKK.