Turkey to go before human rights court for PKK strikes

Turkey will soon face legal claims related to the destruction caused by recent air raids on PKK rebel bases in northern Iraq, The Guardian reported Monday.

According to the article, the charges were lodged at European court of human rights “by the London-based Kurdish Human Rights Project (KHRP) on behalf of Muslim and Chaldean Christian villagers who say they lost their homes during Turkish air raids last October and December.” The claimants are seeking compensation for the deaths and damage that they say the attacks caused.

The attacks on PKK bases resumed this past weekend in Iraqi Kurdistan’s Zap region.

A Turkish military official recently confirmed that intelligence sharing efforts are ongoing with Iran, home to the rebel group’s Pejak wing.

There are conflicting reports on the extent of the damages cited in the charges. A British lawyer involved with the case said he “witnessed some of [the] atrocities and also saw that civilians have been traumatized [and]…displaced,” adding that the “military operations have compromised the human rights of Iraqi civilians.” However a Turkish embassy spokesman in London said he was not aware of any civilian casualties, only loss of livestock.

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