Redoubling its efforts against the PKK terrorist group, Türkiye has eliminated 32 PKK militants in northern Iraq, the Defense Ministry said Friday.
The terrorists were struck in northern Iraq’s Haftanin, Gara and Hakurk regions and the area where the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) is conducting Operation Claw-Lock, the ministry said.
“We will continue our determined fight until no terrorist is left standing,” the ministry said.
Ankara launched Operation Claw-Lock in April 2022, the latest in the string of cross-border “Claw” offensives kicked off in 2019, to demolish terrorist lairs across Metina, Avashin-Basyan, Zap and Gara districts and prevent the formation of a terror corridor along Turkish borders.
The PKK took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984 and is designated a terrorist organization by Ankara, as well as the United States and the European Union.
Since Turkish operations have driven its domestic presence to near extinction, the PKK has moved a large chunk of its operations to northern Iraq, including a stronghold in the Qandil Mountains, located roughly 40 kilometers (25 miles) southeast of the Turkish border in Irbil.
Türkiye has, over the past 25 years, operated several dozen military bases in northern Iraq in its war against the PKK.
The terrorist group carried out attacks, killing more than a dozen Turkish soldiers in Metina last December and in January. The high toll led to an increase in Turkish operations, which sometimes take place deep into Iraqi territory.
The operations have regularly strained bilateral ties, but officials have repeatedly assured Türkiye’s respect of Iraq’s sovereignty and commitment to only targeting terrorists.
Ankara plans a new swoop in on the militants this summer and has sought Iraqi cooperation in the form of a joint operations room, as well as recognition by Baghdad of the PKK threat.
Iraq last month announced it had set up two military bases in its Zakho region and deployed troops to the region for the first time in over three decades.
Ankara is also preparing to provide Iraq with technical assistance for securing its borders to prevent the mobility of PKK around the region.
