The ministry said in a statement that the PKK opened fire on Turkish soldiers in Duhok province, killing two and injuring three others. One of the injured succumbed to his wounds. One of the dead is a commander.
The PKK has not commented on the attack.
Ankara has in the past few years intensified its campaign to eliminate the presence of PKK fighters around its borders, launching several operations in the Kurdistan Region as well as Syria where it claims to target alleged proxies of the group.
In 2019, Turkey launched Operation Claw against the PKK in Khakurk. This was followed by Operation Claw-Tiger in June 2020. The third edition of the offensive was a ground and air cross-border operation, dubbed Operation Claw-Lightning and Operation Claw-Thunderbolt, launched in April 2021. All of these operations focused on the PKK’s positions in the Kurdistan Region’s Duhok province.
Turkey sent its army back into the Kurdistan Region in April of last year, launching Operation Claw-Lock with the goal of targeting PKK positions in Metina, Zap, Avashin, and Basyan areas in northern Duhok province. The operation, according to Ankara, aims to remove the PKK from the bordering areas and cut off its access to mainland Turkey.
Wednesday’s incident took place in the Operation Claw-Lock region, according to the Turkish defence ministry.
Two drone attacks in Sulaimani province killed and injured several people on Wednesday. The PKK media blamed Ankara but local officials said the drone was unidentified.
