Turkish bombings took place in several tourist resorts in the Zakho region of Duhok province, Iraqi Kurdistan, costing the lives of eight tourists.  

According to local authorities, at least eight tourists were killed and another 23 injured as a result of the airstrikes. Many of the victims were women and children and were part of a group of 200 people who came from the capital, Baghdad.

According to the “Rudaw” network, the Mayor of the city of Zakho, Muhsin Bashir, said that the two Turkish raids also hit the city of Parakh. The local official claimed that members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) “were roaming around the village, which led Turkey to shell it.”

Videos from Zakho show an airstrike against a riverside resort and several tourists, including children, being rushed to a local hospital.

It was the deadliest Turkish attack in northern Iraq since Ankara launched Operation Claw-Lock against PKK strongholds in the region in April. The airstrike was likely a response to recent PKK attacks that claimed the lives of two Turkish soldiers.

Turkey has acknowledged losing a total of 38 soldiers since the start of Operation Claw-Lock in northern Iraq.

The airstrikes in the city of Zakho led to a backlash against the Iraqi government as well as the Kurdistan Regional Government and the federal government in Baghdad, accused by some Iraqis on social media of facilitating Ankara’s military operations in northern Iraq.  

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