Turkish army kills three PKK militants in northern Iraq
Turkish soldiers conduct military exercises near Habur crossing gate between Turkey and Iraq. Photo: AFP
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Turkish army announced on Sunday it killed three militants belong to Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, according to a statement of the Turkish Ministry of Defense cited by the Anadolu Agency.
The statement revealed that the Turkish forces eliminated the three militants after they were spotted in a cave within the scope of Operation Claw Lock.
Ankara launched the Operation Claw Lock last April against strongholds of PKK militants and its loyal factions, which Ankara classifies as terrorist groups, in northern Iraq.
Last July, Iraq submitted a complaint to the UN Security Council against Turkey, and summoned its diplomats from Ankara, after Baghdad accused Turkey of bombing a tourist resort in the northern governorate of Duhok which resulted in nine deaths and 23 injuries.
The UN Security Council held a session at the request of Iraq in which the Iraqi Foreign Minister, Fuad Hussein, called for an urgent resolution obligating Turkey to withdraw its forces from the Iraqi territories, and to form an independent international team to investigate the bombing of Duhok 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.