Iraq shot down Turkiye military drone over Kirkuk, sources say

Iraq shot down a Turkish military drone which was flying over Iraqi air space last week, in an apparent incident which could potentially cause confusion between Ankara and Baghdad in their common fight against Kurdish separatist militants.

According to Reuters news agency, which cited four unnamed police and army sources, an armed drone fell in the centre of the city of Kirkuk in Iraq’s northern Kurdish region, igniting a fire near a residential area but resulting in no casualties as it was suppressed by firefighters.

Following the incident, reports and accounts were initially mixed, with a statement by Iraq’s military saying the drone was Turkish but not clarifying whether it was downed by Iraqi air defences. An Iraqi military colonel, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also confirmed that the initial investigation of the debris showed that it was an armed Turkish military drone.

Responding to the Iraqi military’s statement on the matter, Turkiye’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Oncu Keceli stated that “Coordination has been established with Iraqi authorities to shed light on all details of the incident.”

Bugün Kerkük’te yaşanan hadiseyle ilgili açıklama Irak Ortak Operasyonlar Komutanlığı tarafından yapılmıştı.

Olayın tüm ayrıntılarıyla aydınlatılması için Irak makamlarıyla koordinasyon sağlanmıştır.

Türkiye'nin terörle mücadelede kararlılığı tamdır.

Türkiye, Irak… https://t.co/Qmhk7KZqeq

— Öncü Keçeli | Dışişleri Bakanlığı Sözcüsü (@SpoxTR_MFA) August 29, 2024

Without confirming whether the drone was indeed a Turkish-manufactured one, Keceli stressed that Turkiye “continues its fight against the terrorist organisation nestled in Iraqi territory”, referring to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which the Turkish military has been launching a sustained campaign of air strikes, drone strikes, and special forces operations in the mountainous areas of Iraq’s northern Kurdistan region over the past two years.

Throughout those operations, Baghdad has increasingly expressed dissatisfaction with the Turkish military incursions into its air space and territory but, this year, agreed to assist Turkiye in its counter-terrorism measures – including by banning the PKK within Iraq.

Due to that cooperation, many view with difficulty the possibility of Iraqi forces shooting down the Turkish drone deliberately.

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