The soldiers came under fire “from the separatist terrorist organization,” the ministry said, naming the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Ankara describes as a terrorist organization.
Six Turkish soldiers were killed in clashes with Kurdish PKK fighters in northern Iraq, the Turkish Defense Ministry announced today.
The soldiers came under fire “from the separatist terrorist organization,” the ministry said, naming the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Ankara describes as a terrorist organization.
“Operations continue in the Kurdish mountainous region in northern Iraq, he added.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his condolences to the families of the dead soldiers.
Since April 2022, Turkey has been conducting the cross-border operation “Forked Sword”, with the aim of eliminating PKK positions in these mountainous and inaccessible areas.
Yesterday Wednesday, Turkish drone strikes killed two PKK members in that area, according to officials in the autonomous Kurdistan region, following a similar incident on Sunday.
The PKK has been fighting the Turkish authorities since 1984 and these conflicts have left tens of thousands dead.
On the other hand, Ankara maintains dozens of military bases in northern Iraq to conduct regular operations against Kurdish militants in order to eliminate their presence on its borders.
According to the Turkish ministry, 586 “terrorists” have been “neutralized” since the beginning of the year in Operation Forked Sword in northern Iraq.
Source :Skai
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