7 Turkish soldiers die after their helicopter crashed in northern Iraq
A Turkish helicopter in northern Iraq. Photo: Al-Arabiya News
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – A Turkish helicopter crashed on Wednesday near an oil field north of Duhok in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, Kurdistan24 reported.
Eyewitnesses in the area where the helicopter crashed said that the death toll ranges between five to seven people, Kurdistan24 added.
A military commander in Duhok stated that seven people were killed in the helicopter crash, Rudaw News mentioned.
It is not yet known whether the helicopter crashed due to a technical malfunction or was targeted, Rudaw News added.
Turkey is carrying out military operations to combat the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Ankara classifies as a terrorist group, and which is active in some countries in the region, such as Syria, Iraq and Iran.
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.
Ankara launched Operation Claw Lock last April against strongholds of PKK militants and its loyal factions 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, 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.