Ankara, Aug 7 () - Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) has announced its investigation commission report after a visit to air operation-struck Zarkel village of Northern Iraq killing cilivilians.
The report said, “Contrary to Ankara government’s official announcement, the commission affirmed that the Zarkel village is not a PKK (outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party) camp, it is a settlement for civilians. Those who were killed after the bombing were unarmed”. The report declared “the political responsibility of this air operation that caused a massacre is over the Turkish government”.
HDP’s report also said, “The announcement saying Kurdish Regional Government had been informed before the operation and had supported the operations does not reflect the truth; the Government has been informed after the attack. Vice versa, the officials we had contacted have clearly expressed their discomfort of the air operations and their results. The massacre has left hundreds hectares of forestland and the living beings, along with the people.”
The report explained in detail how the investigation commission has worked and addressed the determinations after visits to hospitals and to the Zarkel village. "Our commision has confirmed that more than 37 house, a mosques, municipality hall, a school, and dozens of barns are registered in the village."
The interviews of the commission with eyewitnesses were also brought to light:
“According to the witnesses, one or two days prior to the attack, combat drones have made comprehensive aerial reconnaissance. Following the exploration, on Aug 1 at 04.00 a.m. the attack has been launched and three bombings had been made until 06.00 a.m. at certain intervals and in the meantime, the combat drones had leaded the attack with respect to the reconnaissance."
The report defines the results of the operation a human tragedy where houses, a school and mosque of the village have been destroyed. The neighbouring villages have left their houses. Around 1,000 children, women, young people are in fear that an attack can erupt again in the future.
Iraqi Kurdish officials had announced on Aug. 1 that six people had been killed in a pre-dawn air operation by Turkish army on the village of Zarkel in northern Iraq.
