Upon a Turkish drone strike that killed three civilians in Iraqi Kurdistan's Sulaymaniyah province, the spokesperson for the diplomatic mission of the United States in Erbil urged the Turkish government "to coordinate closely with Iraqi and Kurdistan Region authorities on cross-border military operations." The spokesperson refrained from openly criticizing Ankara for the deadly attack.

Three civilians including a father and daughter were killed on Friday when a drone hit their vehicle on a busy road.

"We have seen press reports of suspected drone strikes in Sulaymaniyah in recent days. We have no further information about these incidents," the US Consulate General's spokesperson said in an email to Rudaw English on Sunday.

"If civilians were harmed, we condemn any loss of civilian life and offer condolences to the families,” the statement added.

It continued: “we recognize the legitimate security threat the PKK poses to Turkiye (...) We have urged the Government of Turkiye to coordinate closely with Iraqi and IKR [Kurdistan Region] authorities on cross-border military operations and to protect civilians from harm."

At least 18 civilians were killed, including six children, and at least 57 were injured last year by Turkish military's air strikes and artillery shelling in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), according a recently released report by Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT) and End Cross Border Bombing Coalition, Gercek News reported.

Turkey, a NATO member, enjoys immunity from international scrutiny in its incursions and military campaigns into Iraqi Kurdistan where it has dozens of military bases and a large troop deployment.