Daijiworld Media Network - Dohuk

Dohuk, May 1: The outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) claimed responsibility on Thursday for two drone attacks in northern Iraq that wounded five Kurdish security personnel earlier this week.

The attacks, which occurred on Monday and Tuesday, targeted peshmerga bases in Dohuk province in the northern autonomous Kurdistan region, an area that has witnessed ongoing clashes between Turkish forces and the PKK. The regional authorities, who maintain close ties with Ankara, initially blamed the attacks on a 'terrorist group'.

The PKK, in its statement, described the attacks as ‘minor’ to avoid casualties, explaining that they were in response to the establishment of a new post by the Kurdistan security forces the peshmerga in the area. The PKK said the new post would block a key road between two regions, which they viewed as an attempt to isolate and besiege their forces.

The post is one of many that the peshmerga have begun building in a region the PKK considers strategically important. The PKK has long maintained rear bases in the mountainous regions of northern Iraq, where Turkish forces also operate bases.

The drone attacks came weeks after the PKK declared a ceasefire with Turkey following a call from their jailed leader, Abdullah Ocalan, urging the group to dissolve and disarm. Despite the ceasefire, sporadic clashes have continued between the PKK and Turkish forces in several areas of northern Iraq.

The regional authorities condemned the attacks, stating that they aimed to ‘obstruct the peace process and destabilize the region.’ However, the PKK reiterated in its statement that it does not seek war with any side and remains committed to avoiding further conflict.