Two Journalists Killed in Turkish Airstrike in Northern Iraq
- Two female journalists were killed in a Turkish airstrike in northern Iraq.
- The airstrike hit their car in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region.
- Local officials and media reports confirmed the tragic incident.
— In a tragic incident on Friday, two female journalists, Hero Baha’uddin and Golestan Tara, were killed in a Turkish airstrike that struck their vehicle in northern Iraq’s Kurdish region. The journalists were affiliated with a local Kurdish media outlet, Roj News. Local officials confirmed the incident, with Qubad Talabani, the deputy prime minister of the Kurdish region, condemning the attack, emphasizing that the victims posed no threat to security. Reports indicate that the airstrike targeted a car believed to be carrying members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a Kurdish separatist group engaged in a long-standing insurgency against Turkey. While the Kurdish counter-terrorism service stated that a PKK official and two others were killed in the strike, it remains unclear if the journalists were in the same vehicle or if multiple cars were involved. Additionally, six other journalists sustained injuries of varying severity. The Turkish foreign ministry later announced that its forces had "neutralized" 16 PKK members in other operations across northern Iraq, reaffirming Turkey's commitment to combatting terrorism. The ministry's statement highlighted ongoing military operations aimed at dismantling PKK bases in the region, which Turkey considers a significant threat. Despite Turkey's military actions, the Iraqi government has expressed concerns over violations of its sovereignty, while simultaneously intensifying its own measures against the PKK. The situation underscores the complex dynamics of regional security and the risks faced by journalists in conflict zones.