Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Turkish official has confirmed that 35 people killed in Turkish air strikes in Iraq were civilians working as smugglers whom the military mistook for Kurdish rebels.
A ruling party spokesman Huseyin Celik said yesterday that the victims "were not terrorists" but people smuggling cigarettes into Turkey from Iraq.
Mr Celik said officials were investigating possible intelligence failures that led to the strikes. He expressed regret for the deaths and suggested the government would compensate the victims.
Earlier, the military said its jets had struck an area of northern Iraq frequently used by the rebels to enter Turkey after drones detected a group approaching the border.
The civilian death toll is one of the largest incurred on a single day during the military's 27-year-old drive against rebels, who are fighting Turkey for autonomy in the mostly Kurdish south-east.
It is also the latest example of how the government's efforts to grant cultural and other rights to aggrieved Kurds have been eclipsed by escalating violence this year.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments