Authorities in northern Iraq report casualties from Turkish drone attack | News on press freedom

Kurdish authorities report that several people were killed in a Turkish drone attack. The attack was reportedly aimed at journalists.

Local authorities and news agencies in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq said several people, including two journalists, were killed in a Turkish drone attack on Friday.

In an initial statement on Friday, regional authorities said a car belonging to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) was hit near the city of Sulaymaniyah, killing a high-ranking PKK official, his guard and his driver.

However, a later statement by Kurdistan Regional Government Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani said the attack was directed against a group of journalists, two of whom were killed.

“They were two journalists and not members of armed forces who would pose a threat to the security and stability of any country or region,” Talabani said in a statement.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF), a press organization, also released a statement condemning the deaths of the two journalists, 27-year-old Hero Baha'uddin and 40-year-old Golestan Tara of Sterk TV.

It was also mentioned that a third journalist from the same newspaper, Rebin Baker, was injured during the trip. Jonathan Dagher, RSF's Middle East bureau chief, pointed out that Friday's attack followed another drone strike on July 8 that killed one journalist and injured another.

“With the deaths of three media workers in just two months, the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan is becoming one of the most dangerous zones in the world for journalists,” he said in a statement.

According to the AFP news agency, Turkey has denied any responsibility for Friday's drone attack.

However, the country regularly carries out attacks on the PKK in northern Iraq, which is considered a “terrorist” organization in Ankara.

Earlier on Friday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement claiming to have “neutralized” 16 PKK members in parts of northern Iraq. However, AFP reported that the Turkish Defense Ministry said the attack in Sulaymaniyah was “not carried out by the Turkish army.”

Local media outlet Roj News reported that the two journalists killed worked for a Kurdish publication in the area. The outlet said six other reporters were injured in the attack “with varying degrees of severity.”

“The killing was unjustified, violated all international laws and norms and was a clear violation of the country's sovereignty,” Talabani added in his statement.

Karouan Anwar, head of the journalists' union in Sulaymaniyah, said those killed were “known to be working in the world of journalism and media.”

Earlier this week, RSF published a report expressing concern about a “rise in violence” against media workers in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region.

The RSF report states that “various actors” have violated press freedom, and that the elections held in October between pro- and anti-Turkish factions have contributed to growing tensions.

“Journalists in Iraqi Kurdistan must be able to work in complete safety at a time when political rivalries are at their peak,” Dagher said in the report.

The PKK, which launched an armed insurgency against Turkey in the 1980s to establish a Kurdish state, maintains bases in northern Iraq but has since softened its demands.

Nevertheless, Turkey views PKK facilities as a threat to national security and continues to carry out operations against the group's infrastructure in the Kurdish region.