The Turkish military has advanced 15 kilometers deep into Iraqi Kurdistan, targeting the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and forcing the evacuation of hundreds of villages, according to a conflict monitor's report on Sunday.
The incursion, which represents a significant escalation in Turkeys military operations, has unfolded amid a conspicuous silence from both Iraqi and Kurdish authorities, raising concerns over Iraq's sovereignty and the safety of its citizens.
Ongoing operations have forced nearly 602 villages in Duhok province to evacuate, with villagers fleeing in fear of Turkish army shelling that has also scorched their farmland, according to a U.S.-based human rights organisation monitoring the conflict.