The deadly attack in which at least eight civilians were killed in northern Iraq was carried out by PKK terrorists, security sources said Wednesday.

The sources told Anadolu Agency (AA) that there is evidence the terrorists carried out the attack.

They said pro-PKK media outlets started spreading false news claiming that the attack near the village of Parakh in Duhok province was carried out by the Turkish military.

They noted that the terrorist group, which is on the brink of collapse due to Turkey’s successful counterterrorism operations, resorts to the use of lies, spreading misinformation and other unethical methods for a way out.

Sources also said that the PKK terrorists frequently target civilians in the area, and many of them, including farmers, are too afraid to go to their farms due to PKK terrorists.

The Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Wednesday saying that the Turkish military refrains from targeting civilians, civilian infrastructure, historical and cultural buildings and more during its counterterrorism operations. It also urged Iraqi authorities to not be provoked by PKK terrorists and to launch an investigation to find the real perpetrators.

Northern Iraq is among the many PKK terrorist hideouts and bases from which they carry out attacks in Turkey. The Turkish military regularly conducts cross-border operations in northern Iraq. Turkey has long been stressing that it will not tolerate terrorist threats posed against its national security and has called on Iraqi officials to take the necessary steps to eliminate the terrorist group. Ankara previously noted that if the expected steps were not taken, it would not shy away from targeting terrorist threats.

Within this scope, Ankara has launched a series of operations against PKK terrorists in Iraq and Syria, the latest one in northern Iraq beginning in April, Claw-Lock.

It was preceded by Operations Claw-Tiger and Claw-Eagle, which were launched in 2020 to root out terrorists hiding in northern Iraq and plotting cross-border attacks in Turkey.

Since its foundation in 1984, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people in Turkey, including women, children and infants.