2 Iraqi soldiers killed in fierce clashes with PKK in Sinjar

The Iraqi army and the PKK terror group engaged in fierce clashes that left two Iraqi soldiers dead on Sunday in the Sinjar district of Nineveh in northwestern Iraq, the army said in a statement.

The clashes erupted after the PKK terrorists were denied passage through an army checkpoint, the statement said, adding that the terrorists drove their vehicle into a soldier and attacked the checkpoint.

The army said five terrorists were wounded in the fighting.

"Fierce clashes erupted between the Iraqi army and PKK fighters in Sinun town in Sinjar," SNG news agency quoted an unnamed security source as saying earlier on Sunday.

The security source said that at least four Iraqi soldiers were wounded, while one PKK terrorist was killed.

Security reinforcements were deployed across the region to bring the situation under control, the report added.

On Saturday, two Turkish soldiers were killed and eight others were injured during an anti-terror operation in northern Iraq, the Defense Ministry said.

According to the statement, six terrorists were "neutralized" during the operation.

Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralized" in their statements to imply that the terrorists in question either surrendered or were killed or captured.

The Turkish Armed Forces regularly conduct cross-border operations in northern Iraq, a region where PKK terrorists have hideouts and bases from which to carry out attacks in Turkey.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU, has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women and children. The terrorist organization isn't just active in Turkey but operates throughout the region, particularly in Syria and Iraq.