Iraqi Kurdistan: Two Women Journalists Killed by Turkish Drone Strike
23 August 2024
Kurdfile: Two women journalists from Chatr Media, Gulistan Tara and Hero Bahadin, were tragically killed, and their colleague, journalist Rêbîn Bekir, was injured in a suspected Turkish drone strike in the Said Sadiq district of Sulaymaniyah Province, northern Iraq.
The incident occurred on Friday, 23 August, when a car carrying media personnel from Sterk TV, affiliated with Chatr Media Company, was targeted while on a reporting mission. The attack happened on the road between Sulaymaniyah city and Said Sadiq district. Chatr Media is a licensed outlet under the Kurdistan Regional Government.
This is not the first instance of drone strikes targeting journalists in the Kurdistan region. Earlier, on 8 July, a drone attack in Sinjar, northern Iraq, struck a vehicle carrying the Çira TV media crew. Reporter Murad Mirza Ibrahim succumbed to his injuries three days after the attack, and his colleague, journalist Mydia Hussen, was also wounded.
The Kurdistan Journalists Syndicate (KJS) of Sulaymaniyah has strongly condemned the killing of Gulistan Tara and Hero Bahadin, and the wounding of Rêbîn Bekir, demanding that the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Iraqi government apply maximum diplomatic pressure on Türkiye to halt such violations.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has joined KJS in calling for immediate investigations by both the Iraqi and Turkish authorities to bring those responsible to justice. IFJ Secretary General Anthony Bellanger emphasized the urgent need to ensure the safety of journalists in conflict zones and to hold accountable those who commit such heinous acts. He expressed hope that this tragedy would raise global awareness of the dangers faced by journalists and lead to stronger protections for them.
Member of the Syndicate of Kurdistan Journalists with 7+ years in local and international press. Editor, translator, and activist, dedicated to exposing corruption and human rights violations in Kurdistan.