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A28 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 18 June 2020
Turkey begins offensive against Kurdish rebels in north Iraq

By SUZAN FRASER and QAS- Kurdish region.
SIM ABDUL-ZAHRA The PKK has led a decades-
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Tur- long insurgency in Turkey's
key said Wednesday it has mainly Kurdish southeast
airlifted troops into north- region. It is considered a
ern Iraq for a cross-border terrorist organization by Tur-
ground operation against key, the United States and
Turkey's Kurdish rebels. the European Union. The
The airborne-and-land of- conflict has led to the loss
fensive into the border re- of tens of thousands lives
gion of Haftanin, some 15 since it started in 1984.
kilometers (9 miles) from Turkey began expanding
the Turkey-Iraq border, was it's military footprint in Iraq
launched following intense last summer in an intense
artillery fire into the area, operation against PKK tar-
said the Defense Ministry in gets following the July 17
Ankara. assassination of Osman
The operation by com- Kose in the northern Iraqi
mando forces is being sup- Kurdish city of Irbil. Kose
ported by warplanes, at- worked for the Turkish Con-
tack helicopters, artillery sulate there and Ankara
and armed and unarmed has blamed the PKK for his
drones, according to the In this Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015 file photo, fighters of the Turkey-based Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) killing.
ministry's statement posted walk in the damaged streets of Sinjar, Iraq. Turkish officials have said
on Twitter. It did not say Associated Press the operations have fo-
how many troops are in- cused on cutting supply
volved. Defense Minister Hulusi Akar the official said, providing Keshani, Shilan, Menira, lines and transport routes
Turkey regularly carries out overseeing the mission at the information on condi- Belbla, Mezuri, Awlayi and connecting the PKK in Tur-
air and ground attacks a command center in An- tion of anonymity in line Reesha. Bombings began key and Iraq.
against the outlawed Kurd- kara. with government rules. Tuesday night and contin- The presence of PKK rebels
istan Workers Party, or PKK, The development came It was not clear if the lat- ued throughout the day has brought discomfort to
which it says maintains bas- days after Turkey launched est offensive would target Wednesday, he said. senior Iraqi Kurdish officials,
es in northern Iraq. an air operation in the re- the Sinjar region, which the Residents of the villages re- with one official saying the
Turkey has defended its gion, which the Defense Turkish government says fused to leave their farm- areas where PKK function
past operations into north- Ministry said hit suspected has become a new base lands because it is their are a "no man's land." He
ern Iraq, saying neither the PKK targets in several loca- for PKK commanders. A only source of livelihood, spoke on condition of ano-
Iraqi government nor the tions in Iraq's north, includ- video provided by the Turk- he said. nymity to discuss the oper-
regional Iraqi Kurdish ad- ing Sinjar, and targeted 81 ish Defense Ministry showed Zagros Hiwa, spokesperson ations.
ministration have acted to rebel hideouts. Akar addressing the com- for the military wing of the Kawa Sheikhmous, a PKK
remove PKK insurgents who A Turkish military official mandos, saying they "will PKK, said fighting was con- official who was in Iraq's
allegedly use Iraq's territory said the operation began make history once again." tinuing in the Haftanin area northern Kurdish region
to stage attacks on Turkey. with artillery units targeting "Turkey continues its fight along a 200-kilometer (125- Tuesday, criticized the Iraqi
The ministry said Wednes- some 150 suspected PKK against terrorists using the mile) front line. government for not taking
day's operation, dubbed positions and was followed rights based on internation- "These operations are part a stronger stance against
Operation Claw-Tiger, fol- by an aerial attack involv- al law," said Omer Celik, of Turkey's plan to expand Turkish incursions.
lows "increasing harass- ing F-16s, drones and at- deputy chairman of Presi- in the area as they did in "We condemn this act and
ment and attempts to at- tack helicopters. dent Recep Tayyip Erdo- Libya and Syria," he said. consider it against the inter-
tack" military outposts or Some of the commandos gan's ruling party. Baghdad summoned An- ests of the people," he said.
bases in Turkey. It said the crossed the border by land Delsher Abdulsata, the kara's ambassador to Iraq "Our message to the Iraqi
Turkish forces would target while other units were trans- mayor of Batifa village in , Fatih Yildiz, on Tuesday to government is that it should
other "terror" groups in the ported by helicopters. The the Haftanin area of Dohuk protest Turkey's offensive not tolerate this interfer-
region, but did not name troops had begun to enter province, said Turkish forc- against PKK targets in north- ence in the sovereignty of
them, and shared videos of PKK hideouts in Haftanin, es entered the villages of ern Iraq's semi-autonomous Iraq."q

South Africa says 2 pandemics now, virus and gender violence

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — coronavirus cases on the ers, many of them women, Africans lined up to buy. But comprehension."
South Africa now faces African continent — more who have said the 100 days he said cases of abuse of South Africa has long had
two pandemics, COVID-19 than 80,000 — and half of of restrictions have inflicted women and children have a serious problem with such
and the violence against those cases have been enormous financial pain. "increased dramatically." violence, but Ramaphosa
women and children that confirmed over the past Restaurants will now be "It is with the heaviest of draw a direct connection
has risen sharply since al- two weeks, President Cyril able to offer sit-down hearts that I stand before between it and alcohol
cohol sales were allowed Ramaphosa said in a na- meals. Hotels, cinemas and the women and the girls abuse. "Of course it is not
again on June 1, the presi- tional address. hairdressers can operate. of South Africa this eve- alcohol that rapes or kills
dent said Wednesday as "What was once a distant Non-contact sports like golf ning to talk about another woman or a child. rather it
he announced further eas- disease is coming much and tennis can resume. pandemic that is raging in is the actions of the men of
ing of lockdown measures. closer," he said. Ramaphosa did not give our country: the killing of our country," he said, but
Twenty-one women and But he announced fur- comprehensive data on women and children by "we need to draw lessons
children have been killed. ther lockdown easing un- the jump in violent crime the men of our country," from this lockdown and
South Africa has between der pressure from business since June 1, when alcohol he said, calling it a "brutal- protect our society from
a third and a quarter of all leaders and informal work- sales returned and South ity that defies any form of the abuse of alcohol."q