SULAYMANIYAH, Iraq (Reuters) – A Turkish drone strike on Friday killed three suspected Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants, three Kurdish security sources said, making it the fifth drone attack this week in northern Iraq against Kurdish militanrs.
The three people were in their vehicle driving on Penjwen Sulaymaniyah main road, which is heavily used by civilians, and about 30 km (18 miles) away from a popular tourist destination, when the drone struck them, the sources said.
Friday’s attack occurred a day after Turkey announced that five of its soldiers were killed in clashes with the PKK in northern Iraq.
There has been a long-running Turkish campaign in Iraq and Syria against militants of the PKK and the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, which are both regarded as terrorist groups by Ankara.
Turkey regularly carries out air strikes in northern Iraq and has dozens of outposts on Iraqi territory but has stepped up its drone attacks in recent days, striking closer to urban areas and on main roads.
The PKK took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984.
On Wednesday Turkish drone strikes killed 2 suspected PKK members also on another main road about 10 km (six miles) from Dukan mountain resort, another popular tourist destination.
(Reporting by Ali sultan in Suli and Amina Ismail in Erbil; Writing by Amina Ismail, Editing by William Maclean)
