Turkish forces have killed 17 militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) across various regions of northern Iraq and northern Syria, the defense ministry said on Friday, according to Reuters.
In a post on social media platform X, the ministry said its forces had "neutralized" 10 PKK insurgents found in the Gara and Hakurk regions of northern Iraq, and in an area where the Turkish military frequently mounts cross-border raids under its "Claw-Lock Operation.”
It said another seven militants were "neutralized" in two regions of northern Syria, where Türkiye has previously carried out cross-border incursions.
The ministry's use of the term "neutralized" commonly means killed. The PKK, which has been waging an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984, is designated a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union.
Türkiye's cross-border attacks into northern Iraq have been a source of tension with its southeastern neighbor for years. Ankara has asked Iraq for more cooperation in combating the PKK, and Baghdad labelled the group a "banned organization" in March.
Last month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held talks with officials in Baghdad and Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, about the continued presence of the PKK in northern Iraq, where it is based, and other issues. Erdogan later said he believed Iraq saw the need to eliminate the PKK as well.
Türkiye has also staged military incursions in Syria's north against the YPG militia, which it regards as a wing of the PKK.
Türkiye Says it Killed 17 Kurdish Fighters in Northern Iraq, Syria
https://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5010071-t%C3%BCrkiye-says-it-killed-17-kurdish-fighters-northern-iraq-syria
Türkiye Says it Killed 17 Kurdish Fighters in Northern Iraq, Syria
- Ankara: Asharq Al Awsat
- Ankara: Asharq Al Awsat
Türkiye Says it Killed 17 Kurdish Fighters in Northern Iraq, Syria
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