Türkiye on Wednesday destroyed more than 30 targets used by PKK terrorists in airstrikes across northern Iraq.
An air operation was carried out against terrorist targets housing senior-level terrorists in the Metina, Gara, Hakurk, Qandil and Asos regions, the Defense Ministry said in a written statement.
“The operation was conducted under the legitimate self-defense rights derived from Article 51 of the U.N. Charter to eliminate the PKK/KCK and other terrorist elements, to thwart terrorist attacks from northern Iraq against the local people and security forces, as well as to ensure border security,” the ministry said.
Using a maximum amount of domestically produced ammunition, 37 targets consisting of caves, shelters, hideouts, depots and facilities were destroyed, as well as many terrorists were eliminated in the operation, according to the statement.
"During this operation, every precaution was taken to ensure that innocent people, friendly elements, historical and cultural assets and the environment were not harmed," it added.
The PKK is known for using northern Iraq, near the Turkish border, as a hideout to plot terrorist attacks and launch attacks both on nearby Türkiye and locals in northern Syria.
Since 2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful counterterrorism operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).
In its nearly 40-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 more than 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. The YPG is the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.
As of May, the Turkish military eliminated at least 1,150 PKK/YPG terrorists, including ringleaders, in northern Iraq and Syria since the start of 2024, as Ankara maintains its pressure on the terrorist group.
The PKK is not designated a terrorist organization in Iraq but is banned from launching operations against Türkiye from Iraqi territory. It nevertheless has a foothold in northern Iraq's semi-autonomous north controlled by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), where the central Iraqi government has little influence.
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 and has been conducting airstrikes as part of “Claw” operations since 2022 to demolish terrorist lairs and prevent the formation of a terrorist corridor along its borders.
Türkiye's cross-border operations into northern Iraq have been a source of tension with its southeastern neighbor for years. Ankara has asked Iraq for more cooperation in combating the PKK and Baghdad labeled the group a banned organization in March.
