Turkish army tanks and military personal are stationed in Karkamis on the Turkish-Syrian border in the southeastern Gaziantep province, Turkey, August 25, 2016. © Umit Bektas / Reuters
Late on March 29, a rocket attack hit a large Turkish military base located near the town of Zaylkan in Bashiqa district in the northern Iraqi province of Nineveh.
An Iraqi security source told the UAE-based al-Ain News that at least three rockets landed in the vicinity of the base. According to the unnamed source, the rocket attack didn’t result in any casualties or material losses.
The rockets were reportedly launched from the Nineveh Plains, despite the large presence of Iraqi security forces in the area.
⭕️قصف صاروخي يستهدف محيط معسكر زيلكان حيث تواجد القوات تركية pic.twitter.com/wyGQKYEGw0
— Rasha Al Janabi (@JanabiRasha) March 29, 2022
Zaylkan base was targeted on several occasions in the last few months. On February 3, a salvo of Grad rockets hit the base. Back then, a group calling itself Ahrar Sinjar claimed responsibility for the attack. The shadowy group said that its attacks on Turkish forces will continue until Ankara cease its military operations in Iraq.
In April 2020, Turkey launched Operations Claw-Lightning and Thunderbolt in northern Iraq against the remnants of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The operation is still ongoing. Ankara claims that more than 500 PKK fighters have been killed, wounded or captured, so far.
The new rocket attack on Zylkan base may have been carried out by Ahrar Sinjar, just like the previous one. The group appears to be connected to both the PKK and pro-Iranian factions in Iraq.
