At least 100 people were killed, and nine were wounded in Iraq during the month of February. The casualty figures are almost identical to January’s when 101 people were killed and 14 others were wounded. Also, the remains of 18 long-dead security personnel were recovered.
In the last few days, important news concerning the conflict between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers Party (P.K.K.) was released. P.K.K. leader Abdullah Ocalan — long-imprisoned by Turkey — asked all P.K.K. members to lay down their weapons and disband the guerrilla group.
It is unclear how this peace will ultimately work out. The order was ostensibly given to all P.K.K.-related groups, particularly those inside Turkey, but there was some pushback from a Syrian group. Salih Muslim, an official from the Syrian Kurdish political party the Democratic Union Party (P.Y.D.), said the situation is too dangerous for them to abandon their weapons. And, in Iraq, a Turkish helicopter was said to have conducted airstrikes despite the call for a ceasefire.
At least 85 P.K.K. members were killed in northern Iraq during February.
In other violence, at least 15 people were killed and nine were wounded. Of those, eight civilians were killed, and eight more were wounded. Only one security member was wounded. Seven militants were killed.
Iraqi authorities continue to uncover the remains of people killed during the various conflicts. A mass grave revealed the remains of 17 Peshmerga fighters who were killed during the ISIS invasion. The body of a Turkish soldier, who went missing two years ago, was also discovered.
