Turkish army fire killed an Iraqi Kurdish farmer on Friday in the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq, where Ankara has been battling militants, Agence France-Presse reported on Friday, citing a local official.
The incident came a day after a Turkish soldier was killed in the same region by shellfire that Ankara blamed on militants from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
The Iraqi Kurd died when “Turkish army fire” struck his farm in Dashish village, Serbest Sabri, the district head for Kani Masi in Dohuk province which borders Turkey, told AFP.
Turkish forces frequently conduct operations against PKK rear bases in northern Iraq, the latest of which was launched in April.
The PKK’s armed campaign for a Kurdish homeland has often put it at odds with the Iraqi Kurdish regional government, which seeks to maintain good ties with Ankara.
Turkish troops have had a network of bases in northern Iraq since the mid-1990s.
The PKK has waged a war in mainly Kurdish southeast Turkey since 1984 that has claimed more than 40,000 lives.