Kurdistan region witnessed a military escalation after Turkey carried out an airstrike on Iraqi Kurdistan in retaliation for the killing of a Turkish diplomat in one of the restaurants in the region. Peoples Protection Units’ was quick to deny any responsibility for the assassination, however, Turkish warplanes launched a series of violent raids on the sites and headquarters of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the Qandil mountain ranges. On Wednesday, a Turkish diplomat and two civilians were killed in a shooting inside the restaurant on Airport Road, in Erbil. The raids killed a member of PKK foreign relations committee along with four of his companions. Turkish warplanes bombarded border areas of the Kurdistan Regions district of Amedi in Duhok province, damaging infrastructure and wounding several residents. They also launched two successive raids, one on Makhmour camp east of Nineveh, which contains two thousand refugee family of PKK supporters and armed families. Makhmour Camp’s media official Bulat Buzan said the raid destroyed a house and severely injured two of the refugees. He told Asharq Al-Awsat that the camp was not evacuated and the Turkish air force used to raid the camp, and the refugees were accustomed to that. He reported that the second raid targeted PKK sites in the mountain range surrounding Makhmour, without any casualties. “Following the evil attack in Erbil, we have launched the most comprehensive air operation on Qandil and dealt a heavy blow to the (PKK) terror organization,” Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said in a statement. Akar indicated that the air attack on Iraqi Kurdistan came in response to the killing of a Turkish diplomat in the region. Kurdistan Region’s counter-terrorism forces identified Mazloum Dag as a suspect in the attack. Dag, 26, is from Diyarbakir said he was responsible for the assassination of the Turkish diplomat according to surveillance cameras at the scene. The forces called on the residents of the region who have any information about him to inform the security authorities. Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP), led by Sezai Temelli, strongly rejected attempts to link the party with Dag, given that he is the brother of Dersim Dag, the HDP deputy for Diyarbakir. “We strongly condemn this attack,” said in a statement Friday, hoping that this unclear, mysterious attack is clarified soon and for no doubt or suspicions over the attack remain. “On the other hand, we will under no circumstances [allow] for one of our deputies [to] be targeted due to his brother over this attack,” the statement warned. The HDP rejects violence, the co-chairs said, accusing political opponents of using the attack to provoke anger and war.