Turkish drone strike kills three Yazidi fighters in northern Iraq

A Turkish drone strike in northern Iraq on Monday killed three fighters from the Yazidi self defense force Sinjar Resistance Units (YBS), Iraqi Kurdistan's counterterrorism service said.

A local commander and two fighters were in their vehicle in the Sinjar (Shengal) area, homeland of Yazidi people, when the drone strike hit them, the service said in a statement.

The attack took place near the village of Barawe, Roj News said, citing local sources.

YBS emerged in 2007 to protect Yazidis in the wake of attacks by Sunni Islamist groups, and is accused by Turkish officials of being affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), designated a "terrorist group" by Ankara.

YBS also played an important role in the resistance against the Islamic State (ISIS) when the latter attacked Sinjar in 2014.

A 2021 report by the International Center for the Study of Violent Extremism (ICSVE) documented the death of at least 33 people between 2017-2021 in aerial attacks carried out by Turkey, noting that there has been no international monitoring on these attacks.