Protesters stormed a Turkish military camp near Dohuk, situated in Iraqi Kurdistan, on Saturday, burning vehicles and standing on tanks, Reuters reports.
In 2018, the Turkish military established three new bases in the Kani Rash and Hakurk areas of Iraqi Kurdistan, according to the London-based New Arab outlet.
#Iraq:almeno un morto e diversi feriti per l'assalto di manifestanti curdi ad una base turca a #Shiladze,dopo che alcuni civili sono morti nel corso di attacchi turchi contro il #PKK pic.twitter.com/NofxnggdLZ
— Atlantide (@Atlantide4world) 26 января 2019 г.
Protesters take over Turkish military base in #Shiladze #Kurdistan #KurdistanRegion #Iraq #Turkey #TwitterKurds #NRTnews pic.twitter.com/SaB0ZSRQrI
— Halsho Adil Aziz (@halshoaziz) 26 января 2019 г.
The burning of #turkish headquarter in Shiladze in retaliation of turkish airstrikes! #Kurdistan #iraq pic.twitter.com/bdVnuhuIEZ
— Hawkar Sardar (@SardarHawkar) 26 января 2019 г.
Turkish forces have been active in Iraqi Kurdistan since the mid-1990s, with an estimated 2,000 special forces and intelligence officers reportedly stationed in the capital city of Erbil, as well as Sulaymaniyah and other cities since 1998.
Earlier this week, Turkey allowed flights to the airport of Sulaymaniyah to resume after lifting a ban that was imposed following the 2017 independence referendum in the semi-autonomous region.
Tensions between Ankara and the Kurds escalated in July 2015 when a ceasefire between Turkey and the PKK collapsed over a series of terror attacks allegedly committed by PKK members. Turkish forces are involved in anti-PKK raids across Iraq, carrying out airstrikes and other operations.