18 PKK militants killed in northern Iraq
A milatry vehicle belong to the Turkish forces on the Turkish-Iraqi borders. Reuters image.
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Turkish Ministry of Defense announced on Saturday that 18 militants belong to Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) were killed in a Turkish military operation in northern Iraq, according to Al-Arabiya news.
A press statement issued by the Turkish Ministry of Defense stated that the militants were killed by drones.
Turkey launched the Operation Claw Lock on April 18 against the strongholds of PKK in Metina, Zap and Avashin-Basyan in northern Iraq.
The Operation Claw Lock comes after two other military operations named Claw Lightning and Claw Thunderbolt in 2021, and Claw Eagle and Claw Tiger in 2020.
Although Turkey and Iraq are two important trading partners, but these operations put pressure on the relations between Ankara and the central Iraqi government in Baghdad which accuses Turkey of violating its territorial integrity.
On the other hand, the PKK, Ankara and its western allies describe as a ‘terrorist group,’ has been staging a rebellion against Turkey since 1984, and is based in mountainous areas in northern Iraq.
Turkey frequently carries out attacks against military bases and training camps of the PKK near Sinjar town in Nineveh governorate, and in mountainous areas in Kurdistan region bordering Turkey.