Two children were killed and three to four others, including two children and an elderly man, were injured – all from the same family – when an alleged Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) or Turkish IED exploded in Qadiya refugee camp.

According to the Kurdistan Democratic Communities Union (KCK), “in the late evening hours of August 30, 2021, an explosion occurred in the Qadiya refugee camp in the Zaxo region of the Kurdistan Region Iraq, killing two children and injuring numerous people”. The statement added that those living in the camp are Yazidi people who fled when ISIS occupied their towns in the Sinjar region.

Bas News quoted the Yazidi activist and former deputy in the Iraqi parliament, Vian Dakhil, as saying that the bombing “resulted in the death of two innocent children and the injury of 5 others, including three critical injuries”. Bas News added that among the two children killed was a one year old and a nine year old from the same family, in addition to an officer with Asayish, the Kurdish security and intelligence organization.

Abdulstar Mustafa, deputy head of Zakho emergency hospital, told Rudaw’s Yousif Musa that “At 10:15 we were told that an explosion had occurred at Qadia camp and there were injuries. Our teams got there immediately. We received five of the injured. Of those five injured, two of them died before they arrived.”

Rudaw News added that two children, aged four and nine, were injured, as well as a 63-year-old man. Hassan Ibrahim, the grandfather of the deceased, told Rudaw an explosive device was put under their caravan. He was injured in the explosion and taken to hospital for treatment.

The director of the Asayish district of Zakho, Shavan Sindi, told BasNews, “The explosion was caused by an explosive device that was planted in front of the cabin of an officer with the rank of major in the Kurdistan Region’s Asayish forces, Sheikh Hassan Ibrahim Samuqi, who was wounded in the explosion.” He added that the officer had been subject to death threats from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Al Taakhi Press reported that the explosion was caused by an explosive device planted in front of a cabin belonging to Hassan Samouqi. Al Taakhi also reported that two children were killed but put the toll of injuries at three, all from the same family, including Samouqi.

The mayor of Simel District, Khalil Mahmoud, added that the explosion caused damage to four cabins and a car.

The majority of sources that reported on the incident attributed the strikes to the PKK. However, the KCK blamed Turkey for the attack and refuted claims by the Kurdistan Democratic Party that the PKK was responsible, stating that “All witness accounts and the manner of the explosion indicate that this was an attack by the Turkish state”.

The incident occured in the evening.