A Turkish soldier was killed and another was injured during the weekend in an attack launched by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) on a Turkish military base in northern Iraq.
In a statement, the Defense Ministry said Turkish forces from the Operation Claw-Lock zone in north Iraq, intercepted on Saturday night a PKK attempt to infiltrate the base.
The operation claimed the life of one soldier, the Ministry said. Following the attack, Turkish retaliatory operations in the area “neutralized” eight PKK members, it added.
Ankara typically uses the term “neutralized” to mean killed.
“PKK terrorists, who tried to infiltrate the zone, were forced to flee after the successful intervention of our special forces,” the statement said.
Turkish soldiers then found weapons and ammunition in the possession of the terrorists during the search and sweep activities.
At least 21 Turkish soldiers were killed in PKK attacks on Turkish military bases in the “Claw-Lock” operation zone in the past two months.
In response, Turkish forces conducted raids on positions of the PKK in north Iraq and Syria.
Over the course of three decades, Ankara has established tens of permanent bases in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region to fight the PKK.
But the presence of Turkish troops in the area occasionally causes friction and tension with Baghdad.
In the past week, Ankara, Baghdad and Erbil have engaged in active and intensive talks on combating and cutting off support for the PKK, and also on imposing measures to control the Iraqi borders with Türkiye and Syria.
Ankara has highlighted the PKK's threat to Baghdad and Erbil to convince them to join its operations against the group.
Last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan highlighted the recent progress made through ongoing consultations with Baghdad and Erbil.
“We see good developments in terms of steps both by the central administration in Baghdad and northern Iraq,” he said.
However, the Turkish President said that “despite numerous warnings, the Sulaymaniyah, namely the PUK administration (in northern Iraq), unfortunately, continues to embrace the terrorist organization,” warning that his country cannot overlook this matter.
