At least five people were killed in a helicopter crash in a remote area in northern Iraq , as the authorities of the autonomous Kurdistan region announced Thursday, stressing that among the dead were "members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party."

In response to a question by AFP about this incident, the details of which have not yet been known, a source in the PKK, which Ankara and its Western allies classify as "terrorists", said that the organization is "investigating" the matter without confirming or denying that the dead or the helicopter belonged to the group or not. .

And the Anti-Terrorism Service in the Kurdistan region announced in a statement that a Eurocopter AS350 helicopter "crashed" on Wednesday night in the Dohuk region, "which led to the killing of all its passengers."

For his part, the official responsible for communication with foreign media in the Kurdistan Regional Government, Lawk Ghafouri, confirmed that "at least five people were killed," adding that "the investigation is still ongoing by security officials to determine who the helicopter belonged to and the reasons for the accident."

"Some of the passengers who were killed in the accident are members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, according to the preliminary investigation," he told AFP.

The PKK rebels are active in training camps and bases for them in northern Iraq, which is repeatedly bombed as a result of this conflict, as Ankara, which has established military bases in northern Iraq for 25 years, repeatedly launches air strikes and military operations against the organization.

Ankara, for its part, denied that the helicopter belonged to it, according to a statement by the Turkish security forces.

On February 10, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) announced a "suspension" of its military actions in Turkey, following the devastating earthquake that struck the country.

Turkish military operations in northern Iraq exacerbate pressure on relations between Ankara and the central government of Iraq in Baghdad, which accuses Turkey of violating its territorial sovereignty, even though the two countries are important trading partners. Iraq has repeatedly demanded that Turkey withdraw from its territory.

Civilians find themselves in the line of fire as a result of this conflict. In July 2022, nine Iraqi civilians were killed in a bombing that targeted a tourist resort in the Kurdistan region. Baghdad held Turkey responsible, while Turkey denied this.

Also, in early March, a number of Yazidi fighters linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) were killed in drone strikes attributed to Turkey in the Sinjar region.

A month earlier, eight missiles targeted a Turkish base in northern Iraq, without causing any casualties.