8 PKK terrorists killed during counterterrorism operation in northern Iraq

Turkish jets have killed at least eight PKK terrorists in northern Iraq, the National Defense Ministry said Friday.

The terrorists were killed in the Gara region in an air operation, the ministry said on Twitter.

Turkish security forces have been carrying out a series of successful counterterrorism operations in northern Iraq and Syria, targeting terrorists with Turkish-made armed and unarmed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The operations intensified after July 2018 and have since become routine.

Over 16,000 militants, including 242 senior terrorists, have been killed in these operations, which have also dealt a heavy blow to the PKK’s arms and ammunition supply and logistics network.

On July 13, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) launched Operation Claw-2 as a follow-up to the successful Claw-1. Like the first, the second operation was also launched in northern Iraq's Hakurk region and aimed to continue to destroy weapon placements and shelters used by PKK terrorists.

A subsequent Operation Claw-3 was initiated on Aug. 23 in the Sinat-Haftanin region of northern Iraq. The operation was launched to facilitate border security, eliminate the presence of terrorists, and destroy caves and shelters harboring the group in the region.

Northern Iraq provides a base for the PKK terrorist group and is used by its members to plan cross-border terrorist attacks against Turkey.

In its more than 40-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.