Four Turkish soldiers were killed in a clash with terrorists in northern Iraq, the Defense Ministry said late on Sunday.

Infantry Specialist Sgt. Harun Yıldırım and Infantry Specialist Sgt. Savaş Borlu were killed during clashes with the terrorist group in the Operation Claw-Lock zone, the ministry said on Twitter.

Later, the ministry said that two of the four injured soldiers, Command Sgt. Major Gökhan Ağıl and Infantry Specialist Sgt. Fatih Kalkan died at hospital.

The operation in the region is ongoing, the statement added.

Türkiye launched Operation Claw-Lock in April to target the PKK terror organization's hideouts in Iraq's northern Metina, Zap and Avasin-Basyan regions near the Turkish border.

It was preceded by Operations Claw-Tiger and Claw-Eagle launched in 2020 to root out terrorists hiding in northern Iraq and plotting cross-border attacks in Türkiye.

In its more than 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.

Turkish security forces regularly conduct counterterrorism operations in northern Iraq, a region where PKK terrorists have hideouts and bases from which to carry out attacks against Türkiye.

Türkiye has long been stressing that it will not tolerate terrorist threats against its national security and has called on Iraqi officials to take the necessary steps to eliminate the terrorist group. Ankara previously noted that it would not shy away from targeting terrorist threats if the expected steps were not taken.

In the last two years, the operations intensifying in northern Iraq have demolished terrorist lairs in Metina, Avashin-Basyan, Zap and Gara. After eradicating the group's influence in these regions, Türkiye also aims to clear Qandil, Sinjar and Makhmour.

The Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq are the PKK's stronghold and the group is active in many nearby cities and towns. It occupies a large number of villages in the region from where it launches attacks on Türkiye.

MIT operation

Meanwhile, the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) eliminated Vedat Aksaç, a member of the so-called assassination squad of the PKK terrorist group, and two other terrorists with him, in an operation in Irbil's Halifan region in northern Iraq, security sources said on Monday.

According to information obtained from the sources, the terrorist group, which includes the terrorist Vedat Aksaç, code-named "Şahan," the leader of the PKK's "assassination squad," was in the Halifan region and a pursuit was started in the mountainous area.

In the operation carried out by MIT, Vedat Aksaç and two other terrorists with him were eliminated.

Discovering that Aksaç was about to illegally cross into metropolitan areas, he was put under surveillance by MIT and was eliminated with the operation.

When the illegal activities within the PKK's youth organization YDG-H were exposed, it was noted that Aksaç, who fled Türkiye in 2015 and continued to carry out armed actions in the PKK's mountain squad, was specially trained in assassination and bombing by the terrorist group during this period.

With the military operations organized by MIT in the past weeks, a number of terrorists have been eliminated in Qamishli, including Muhsin Yağan, code-named "Dijvar-Silopi," a so-called administrator of the PKK, and Yusif Mehmud Rebani, code-named "Rezan Cavit," a "provincial head" of the PKK.