5 Turkish soldiers killed in northern Iraq
Turkish military vehicles on the border with the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Photo: North Press Agency
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Turkish Ministry of Defense mentioned on Thursday that five Turkish soldiers were killed in armed clashes with militants belonging to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in northern Iraq.
The clashes took place in the Zap area, where Turkey is carrying out a cross-border operation called the Claw Lock.
Ankara says the offensive operation aims to prevent the PKK from using Iraqi territories to launch attacks in Turkey.
An official at the Turkish Defense Ministry said that the five soldiers were killed by the PKK militants while they were conducting field search and inspection work.
The official added that the PKK has large fortifications around the area, as the terrain is very rugged, but the area will be cleared of terrorists despite the attacks.
The PKK, which Turkey, the United States and the European Union consider a terrorist group, staged a rebellion against Turkey in 1984, which led to a conflict that claimed more than 40 thousand lives.
Turkey launched Operation Claw Lock in April 2022 against the strongholds of the PKK in Metina, Zap and Avashin-Basyan in northern Iraq.
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, these operations put pressure on relations between Ankara and the central Iraqi government in Baghdad, which accuses Turkey of violating its territorial integrity.