Two Dead, Seven Injured in Turkish Air Strikes Hitting YBS Site in Iraq

A file photo taken on February 4, 2019, shows a general view of damaged buildings in the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar. (AFP)
A file photo taken on February 4, 2019, shows a general view of damaged buildings in the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar. (AFP)
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Two Dead, Seven Injured in Turkish Air Strikes Hitting YBS Site in Iraq

A file photo taken on February 4, 2019, shows a general view of damaged buildings in the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar. (AFP)
A file photo taken on February 4, 2019, shows a general view of damaged buildings in the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar. (AFP)

At least two people were killed and seven injured in Turkish air strikes targeting the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBS), a militia affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), in Iraq's northern province of Sinjar, security sources said on Wednesday.

They said one strike targeted an intelligence headquarters and another hit a civilian area, causing damage to nearby shops.

Videos on social media showed plumes of thick smoke and fires ablaze while people ran away in the street, though Reuters could not immediately verify the videos.

There has been a long-running Turkish campaign in Iraq and Syria against militants of the PKK and the Syrian Kurdish YPG, which are both regarded as terrorist groups by Ankara.

Turkey regularly carries out air strikes into northern Iraq and has sent commandos to support its offensives.

In April, the Turkish foreign ministry summoned the Iraqi charge d'affaires after Baghdad accused Ankara of violating its sovereignty and called on it to withdraw all of its forces from Iraqi territory.

The PKK took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict, which in the past was mainly focused in southeast Turkey.



US Launches Airstrikes by Fighter Jets and Ships on Yemen’s Iran-Backed Houthis

 Smoke rises from the site of strikes in Sanaa, Yemen October 4, 2024. (Reuters)
Smoke rises from the site of strikes in Sanaa, Yemen October 4, 2024. (Reuters)
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US Launches Airstrikes by Fighter Jets and Ships on Yemen’s Iran-Backed Houthis

 Smoke rises from the site of strikes in Sanaa, Yemen October 4, 2024. (Reuters)
Smoke rises from the site of strikes in Sanaa, Yemen October 4, 2024. (Reuters)

The US military struck more than a dozen Houthi targets in Yemen on Friday, going after weapons systems, bases and other equipment belonging to the Iranian-backed militias, US officials confirmed.

Military aircraft and warships bombed Houthi strongholds at roughly five locations, according to the officials.

Houthi media said seven strikes hit the airport in Hodeidah, a major port city, and the Katheib area, which has a Houthi-controlled military base. Four more strikes hit the Seiyana area in Sanaa, the capital, and two strikes hit the Dhamar province. The Houthi media office also reported three air raids in Bayda province, southeast of Sanaa.

The strikes come just days after the Houthis threatened “escalating military operations” targeting Israel after they apparently shot down a US military drone flying over Yemen. And just last week, the Houthis claimed responsibility for an attack targeting American warships.

The militias fired more than a half dozen ballistic missiles and anti-ship cruise missiles and two drones at three US ships that were traveling through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, but all were intercepted by the Navy destroyers, according to several US officials.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet publicly released.

Houthis have targeted more than 80 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza started last October. They have seized one vessel and sunk two in the campaign that has also killed four sailors.

Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a US-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have included Western military vessels.

The Houthis have maintained that they target ships linked to Israel, the US or the United Kingdom to force an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.