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Turkish Soldier Killed, Six Injured in Northern Iraq Operations

The Turkish army regularly conducts cross-border operations and air raids against PKK bases in northern Iraq [File: Reuters]
The Turkish army regularly conducts cross-border operations and air raids against PKK bases in northern Iraq [File: Reuters]
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Turkish Soldier Killed, Six Injured in Northern Iraq Operations

The Turkish army regularly conducts cross-border operations and air raids against PKK bases in northern Iraq [File: Reuters]
The Turkish army regularly conducts cross-border operations and air raids against PKK bases in northern Iraq [File: Reuters]

Turkey’s Defense Ministry announced the death of one soldier and the injury of six others during the two military offensives launched on Friday against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) targets in northern Iraq.

Turkish forces attacked the PKK in Avasin-Basyan and Metina areas near Duhok’s border with Turkey, in two operations dubbed “Claw-Lightning” and “Claw-Thunderbolt.”

Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Turkish forces neutralized 31 PKK elements in the new ground-and-air offensives.

He carried out an inspection visit to the 3rd Infantry Division Command in Yuksekova district of Turkey’s southeastern Hakkari province, accompanied by Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) commanders.

“Our fight is against all terrorists,” Akar stressed, noting that Turkey will continue launching “anti-terror operations” until the last terrorist is neutralized.

“So far, a total of 1,132 terror targets have been hit with our land fire support vehicles. Our Air Force also achieved great success as a whole, hitting 120 targets in total.”

The armed forces are determined to protect 84 million Turkish citizens from the threats posed by all terrorist organizations, Akar noted.

He highlighted PKK’s presence in northern Iraq, stressing that its elements continue to create hideouts in anticipation of an attack by the Turkish armed forces.

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Syria and Neighbors Urge Israel to Stop Bombings

Israeli Merkava tanks in the buffer zone between Israel and Syria near the village of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 08 May 2025. (EPA)
Israeli Merkava tanks in the buffer zone between Israel and Syria near the village of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 08 May 2025. (EPA)
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Syria and Neighbors Urge Israel to Stop Bombings

Israeli Merkava tanks in the buffer zone between Israel and Syria near the village of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 08 May 2025. (EPA)
Israeli Merkava tanks in the buffer zone between Israel and Syria near the village of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 08 May 2025. (EPA)

The foreign ministers of Syria, Türkiye and Jordan, meeting Monday in Ankara, called on Israel to cease attacks on Syria and to withdraw troops from the country.

Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on Syria since longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December, often targeting military sites and killing dozens of people.

Israeli officials have also described Syria's new authorities as extremists and claimed to defend the country's Druze minority with a recent spate of attacks.

Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told a press conference with his Jordanian and Syrian counterparts that "Israel's expansionism poses a significant threat to the security, stability and future of Syria."

"This must come to an end. And we are on the same page about this. Syria needs to be supported to prevent terrorist organizations from settling in this region," Fidan added, noting that Syria shares a 900-kilometer (560-mile) border with Türkiye.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani told the joint press conference that "our borders are constantly violated by Israeli attacks".

The Israeli strikes are "calculated escalations aimed at destabilizing Syria and dragging the region into a new cycle of conflict", Shaibani said, decrying "systematic violations of international law and explicit provocations".

He called on the international community to put Israel under "increased pressure" to halt the bombings.

Jordan's top diplomat, Ayman Safadi, said attacks on Syrian soil "will not bring security to Israel and will bring nothing to Syria except ruin and destruction".