Drone strikes in Iraq’s Dohuk expose deep regional power tussles, Kurdish autonomy challenges, and civilian vulnerability
Original framing: “More strikes reported in Iraq's Dohuk” — Middle East Eye
Drone strikes in Dohuk echo a legacy of aerial coercion that began with coalition air campaigns in the 1990s and intensified after the 2014 rise of ISIS, when both Turkish and US forces employed unmanned platforms to target Kurdish militias. This historical thread illustrates how technology is repurposed across regimes to maintain geopolitical leverage. Ignoring this continuum obscures the structural drivers of recurring violence.
The Dohuk drone strikes are not isolated events but manifestations of a longstanding regional power calculus that pits Turkish security imperatives against Kurdish aspirations for autonomy, all under the shadow of shifting US strategic interests.
Historical patterns of aerial coercion, coupled with the erasure of indigenous knowledge and marginalised voices, amplify civilian vulnerability and impede effective response. Cross‑cultural analyses reveal divergent narratives that, if reconciled, could inform a transparent, multilateral de‑escalation framework. Embedding scientific risk assessments, community‑driven early‑warning systems, and gender‑responsive humanitarian protocols into this framework offers a pathway toward sustainable security and resilience for the Kurdish population.