Erbil [Iraq]: Three Iraqi civilians were shot and wounded by Turkish troops after scores of protesters stormed a Turkish military base in Northern Iraq on Saturday.
Civilians near Duhuk city in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region protested against Turkish air strikes against civilians in the northern part of the country, a senior security official told CNN.
Around 300 protesters attacked the military base in the town of al-Amadiya and set two military tanks ablaze.
Turkey has been conducting air strikes in the Kurdistan region, claiming to be targeting Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants. Official statistics released by local authorities in the Kurdish region confirmed that the Turkish bombings claimed the lives of 36 people.
Turkey has long fought the PKK, a banned Kurdish group who are responsible for major terror attacks in Turkey as part of its push for autonomy. Both the United Nations and the United States have branded the PKK a terrorist group.
Turkey’s Defence Ministry took note of the incident and tweeted: “In northern Iraq there is an attack on a base as a result of PKK terror organizations provocation. There is partial damage on vehicles and equipment. Necessary precautions have been taken.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Anadolu Agency that Turkish warplanes and drones were used to disperse the protesters after the attack.
[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]