The Turkish military rained bombs on suspected hideouts of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Iraqi Kurdistan early Tuesday, hitting ammunition depots, caves and other hideouts, Turkey’s National Defense Ministry announced in a statement. More than 20 aircraft took part in the sorties, which hit 28 separate targets in the Asos mountain range along the Iranian border. The attacks mark a further expansion of Turkey’s ongoing offensive against the rebels well beyond the areas bordering Turkey and moving 200 kilometers (124 miles) deep into Iraqi territory.
The mayor of Penjwin, a nearby district scarred by Iraq’s long war with Iran, said the strikes commenced at around 6:30 a.m. local time and continued for around 20 minutes. He told the local news outlet Rudaw that Turkish drones likely carried out the attacks. He said that not much damage had been inflicted but that local farmers had been scared.