Turkish airstrikes on Sinjar (2018)
The August 15, 2018, Turkish airstrikes on Sinjar were two airstrikes on İsmail Özden, a leading member of the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBŞ). Four others were killed in the airstrike. Background In the 21st century, Iraqi Peshmerga, ISIS, YBŞ-PKK, Iraqi Army, and militias have battled for control over the Sinjar area. In August 2014, an offensive by ISIS upon Yazidi-held towns and the surprise withdrawal of Peshmerga forces based there left the local communities severely out-powered by ISIS militants. Mass executions of men and enslavement of Yazidi women and children took place, now referred as the Sinjar massacres and Yazidis genocide by ISIL. As locals took refuge in the hard-to-reach Sinjar mountains, ISIS set siege of the mountain range. On 9–11 August, a joint offensive by Syrian-Kurds PKK-YPG and USAF broke Sinjar siege and secured an escape corridor from Sinjar mountains to Syria's autonomous Rojava area. Later, the December 2014 Sinjar offensive with PKK-affiliated and Peshmerga forces supported by USAF's air surveillance and military support took firm control of the area. YPG took control of Yazidi area and kept both ISIS and Peshmerga forces at bay, continuing the building of local, PKK-inspired Sinjar Resistance Units (YBŞ). These YBŞ were led by Sheikh Khairy Khedr (d. 2014) and Zaki Shingali (d. 2018), himself referring to Qandil's PKK leadership. The strikes On 15 August 2018, the Turkish Armed Forces (, TSK) in cooperation with the National Intelligence Organization of Turkey (, MİT) carried out a cross-border airstrike into Iraqi territory. The operation was named "Bedirhan Mustafa Karakaya" after a ten-month baby boy, who was killed along with his mother by an improvised explosive device of the PKK in their private car on the return way after their visit to the father serving as a gendarmerie sergeant stationed at Yüksekova, Hakkari, southeastern Turkey on 31 July 2018. The MİT was able to listen Özden's satellite phone, and to localize his whereabouts. His activity was observed for three days. Turkey's drones initially wanted to bomb Singal's camp but eventually targeted his convoy instead, due to local intelligence and drone surveillance. A Turkish intelligence unit reported that Özden arrived in Kocho village at around 12:00 hours local time on 15 August 2018 for a ceremony in commemoration of the victims of the Sinjar massacre, which was perpetrated by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) on the resident Yazidis in early August 2014. He remained about three and half hours in the region. Due to the presence of a large number of civilians around him, no operation started. He left the meeting place at around 15:30 in an armored vehicle in a convoy of four cars, which was observed by air and land around 20 minutes long. The entire operation took two hours and 24 minutes after the secret information was gathered by the Turkish side. The US may have provided intelligence to their Turkey allies. A video of the strike has since been published, showing the Turkish army's drone tracking and firing