At least two civilians were killed and up to 17 others, including a woman, were injured in Turkish airstrikes on Makhmour refugee camp on February 1, 2022.
The correspondent of the Rudaw Media Network reported that Makhmour camp was subjected to Turkish bombardment six times and according to Makhmour Health, eight people were killed by the Turkish bombing, in addition to 17 others wounded, and the wounded were transferred to Qayyarah Hospital in Nineveh. Abdullah Taher, an official from the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s local committee indicated that there were fighters and civilians among the victims.
According to a tweet from @Kamaran_Mulla, two civilians were killed and 15 others were injured, and women and children were among the casualties. Images from Rudaw Media show at least one wounded woman and one wounded young man receiving medical treatment for their injuries. France24 reported that the wounded were in stable condition.
The alleged Turkish strikes hit Makhmour refugee camp, which is located south of the city of Erbil and and contains more than 12,000 refugees from Turkey’s Kurdish population. Rojava Information Center reported that Turkish planes bombed the camp 10 times while Altaghier TV identified six strikes carried out on Makhmour.
A statement from the Self-Defence Forces Command of the [Makhmour] Refugee Camp provided information that two members of the “self-defense forces” were killed during the attack and “civilians who tried to help their relatives were also targeted and dozens of them were injured. The injured civilians are receiving treatment in hospitals.”
The Turkish Ministry of National Defense released a statement declaring the strike the day of, stating that “In the Winter Eagle Operation carried out; shelters, bunkers, caves, tunnels, ammunition depots and so-called headquarters and training camps belonging to terrorists who threaten our country, nation and border security were targeted. In the planning and execution of the operation, maximum sensitivity was shown for the safety of life and property of the civilian population and the protection of the environment.”
Al Jazeera pointed out that Turkey cited the 51st article of the UN Charter, which states that “nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations, until the Security Council has taken measures necessary to maintain international peace and security”.
Rudaw News reported that the attack occurred “a few days after Turkey released a footage of its fortified bases deep inside the Iraqi territory with its soldiers patrolling the Kurdistan Region’s snow-capped mountains”.
Iraq’s Security Media Cell released a statement that “The Security Media Cell condemns the Turkish drone strikes on Tuesday evening in violation of Iraqi airspace in northern Iraq, specifically in Sinjar and Makhmour.”
The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq released a statement on twitter saying “Following airstrikes in Ninewa with civilian casualties reported, we reiterate that Iraqi sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected at all times. Local populations must be protected, disputes should be addressed through dialogue and cooperation.” They did not directly mention Turkish involvement.
The incident occured at 22:00:00 local time.
