The Turkish armed forces carried out airstrikes in northern Iraq during which 17 members of the separatist armed movement the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) were “neutralized” (i.e. killed). announced the Ministry of Defense yesterday Monday.

PKK fighters have rear bases in autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan; the area is also home to Turkish military bases for 25 years. The Turkish military frequently bombards the region, causing backlash in Baghdad.

The PKK, which has been waging an armed struggle against the Turkish state since 1984, is labeled a “terrorist” organization by Ankara, the US and the EU.

The non-governmental organization reported last month that from mid-June to the end of July it had counted more than 200 Turkish bombings in northern Iraq. The Turkish armed forces are also operating against the Kurdish YPG (People’s Protection Units) in northern Syria, which they describe as the Syrian arm of the PKK, causing tensions with Washington as it is the main component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). , US-allied faction.

Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler reiterated last month that his government is “determined” to create a “security zone” in northern Iraq, as well as in northern Syria, to prevent any infiltration of “terrorists” into Turkish territory.

The president of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan he boasted in mid-July that his country’s armed forces had succeeded in “eliminating” PKK militants in northern Iraq.