The Ministry of Defense announced Thursday that a Turkish soldier injured in a terror attack in Iraq succumbed to his injuries. The attack took place in an area where Türkiye conducts anti-terrorism operations against the terrorist group PKK.
The soldier, Ali Demir, was injured after terrorists opened harassing fire on Türkiye’s Operation Claw-Lock zone, the ministry said in a statement. He later succumbed to his wounds at the hospital. The ministry extended its condolences to Demir's family, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and the nation.
The terrorists' affiliation was not specified in the statement, but the PKK terror group has been known to be active in the region.
Türkiye launched Operation Claw-Lock last year in April to target the terror group PKK's hideouts in the Metina, Zap, and Avasin-Basyan regions of northern Iraq, located near the Turkish border.
It was preceded by two 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 over 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the U.S. and the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.
