Turkey has been carrying out simultaneous counter-terrorism operations both in eastern Turkey and northern Iraq, doing major damage to the PKK terrorists.

Over the weekend, five more PKK terrorists were killed in the Hakurk region of northern Iraq as part of Operation Claw, raising the number of terrorists killed to 27. In shelters belonging to PKK terrorists, an AK-47 rifle, four grenades and much other ammunition was seized.

Operation Claw was launched last Monday. It continued with airstrikes on PKK targets Friday. Turkish jets pounded PKK weapons' positions, shelters and ammunition depots in the Zap region, the National Defense Ministry confirmed in a tweet Friday.

With no concrete results from Iraq and Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) efforts, Turkey decided to take things into its own hands and assume a hard line against the PKK presence in northern Iraq.

Last year, Turkish security forces crossed 30 kilometers into northern Iraq and nearly 200 PKK terrorists were killed in months of operations.

The Hakurk region is among the main locations PKK terrorists use to infiltrate Turkey or attack Turkish border outposts. The area is located some 30-to-40 kilometers south of the Derecik district of southeastern Hakkari province, bordering Iraq, and currently serves as the main base for terrorists between their headquarters in the Qandil mountains near the border with Iran and Turkey.

Meanwhile, two Turkish soldiers were killed in a battle against PKK terrorists in southeastern Turkey, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported yesterday.

Two others were injured in the fighting, which took place in the province of Hakkari near the Iraqi border.

Turkish security forces regularly conduct counterterrorism operations in the eastern and southeastern provinces of Turkey where the PKK has attempted to establish a strong presence and bases. The PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU, resumed its armed campaign in July 2015 after a brief reconciliation period.