TURKEY has continued to employ chemical weapons during its illegal war in Iraqi Kurdistan, with at least seven attacks using banned munitions reported in the last week. 

The Nato member state has been bombing Kurdish villages on a daily basis for more than a year while the world’s media and state institutions remain silent on the aggression. 

Operation Claw Lock, launched in April, saw an intensification of Turkey’s military offensive, with ground troops deployed in the Avasin, Metina and Zap mountain ranges of Duhok province. 

Thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes as a result of Turkey’s incursion and de facto occupation, which has seen the establishment of more than 80 military bases across the region. 

Fierce battle continues to rage between the Turkish armed forces and guerilla fighters of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) as the operation struggles to gain ground. 

At least 12 Turkish soldiers, including a high-ranking officer, were reported to have been killed in an attack on a base in the Zap region at the end of last month. 

“This is Kurdistan – you can come in, but you won't get out” they were warned in a radio message by YJA Star guerilla fighters released on Monday.

Nalin Fırat, the commander of the all-female unit, was killed during the battle. 

Chemical weapons were reported to have have been used at the entrance to guerilla tunnels in Sikefta Birindara and Marker. 

Turkey has been accused of hundreds of such attacks since April 2021, targeting PKK positions and Kurdish villages. 

The Morning Star has visited the affected areas and spoken to scores of residents affected by noxious substances used in the Turkish attacks, along with medics, politicians and peshmerga forces. 

Testimonies of the victims and details of war crimes committed by the Turkish state have been documented in a new report published by British-based campaign organisation Peace in Kurdistan.