The Turkish Defence Ministry reported on Friday that its forces killed 17 militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) across northern Iraq and northern Syria.
In a post on social media platform X, the ministry stated that 10 PKK militants were “neutralised” in Iraq’s Gara and Hakurk regions, where Turkey conducts cross-border raids as part of its “Claw-Lock Operation.”
Additionally, seven militants were killed in two regions of northern Syria, where Turkish forces have also conducted cross-border operations.
The term “neutralised” commonly refers to being killed. The PKK has fought an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984 and is designated a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union.
Turkey’s cross-border incursions into northern Iraq have long been a source of tension with Baghdad. Ankara has urged Iraq to increase its cooperation in combating the PKK, which Baghdad labelled a “banned organisation” earlier this year.
Last month, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan met with officials in Baghdad and Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, to discuss the PKK’s continued presence in northern Iraq, where the group is based. Erdogan expressed optimism that Iraq also sees the need to eliminate the PKK.
Turkey has also staged military operations in northern Syria against the YPG militia, which it views as a faction of the PKK. Although Ankara is seeking to restore relations with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government after years of animosity, Erdogan remains committed to launching a new offensive in northern Syria to push the YPG further away from the Turkish border.
With Inputs From Reuters
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