23 PKK militants killed in Turkish air strikes in northern Iraq
Turkish fighter jets. Photo: An-Nahar
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Turkish army announced on Sunday it killed 23 militants belong to Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in air strikes in northern Iraq, according to a statement issued by the Turkish Ministry of Defense.
The statement mentioned that Turkish air strikes targeted terrorists in Asos area located 140 kilometers from the Turkish-Iraqi border.
The statement indicated that the number of militants killed in the operation might increase.
The air strikes that targeted Asos area took place on September 27, according to the statement.
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.