Landmine explosion kills peshmerga in Duhok

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A landmine explosion in Duhok’s Amedi district killed a Peshmerga fighter on Monday, said the Peshmerga ministry.

The ministry identified the victim as Mohammed Ahmed Mustafa, stating he was killed when an “old” landmine detonated in Kani Masi subdistrict.

It did not blame any parties.

An informed source told Rudaw on the condition of anonymity that the explosion occurred in the afternoon near a military academy. However, the ministry said the incident took place while he was on duty at one of its military bases.

The area is known for clashes between the Turkish forces and the Workers’ Party (PKK). Turkey often targets Duhok’s mountainous areas on the grounds of striking alleged PKK positions.

The area previously witnessed deadly conflicts between Peshmerga and the former Iraqi regime decades ago.

The Kurdish forces often used landmines as a means of defense

The informed source told Rudaw that the deceased Peshmerga was from Akre town, adding that his body had been transferred to the autopsy.


Nasir Ali contributed to this report.