Kurdistan
Turkish soldiers take position during an operation against Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). File Photo: AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A Turkish soldier was killed in battle with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the mountains of the Kurdistan Region, the defense ministry announced on Friday.
The ministry said in a statement that a sergeant was killed by “harassment fire” by the PKK.
The armed wing of the PKK on Friday claimed that its forces killed 29 Turkish soldiers in Kurdistan Region’s Zap area, Hawar News Agency (ANHA) reported.
Ankara has intensified its attacks on alleged positions of the PKK over the past two weeks after the group carried out an attack on a government building in the capital Ankara.
The PKK is an armed group that for decades has fought for the rights of Kurds in Turkey. It is designated a terrorist organization by Ankara, which has launched numerous operations against the group and its alleged offshoots in the Kurdistan Region and Syria.
Since 2019, Turkey has carried out several operations against the PKK in Kurdistan Region’s northern Duhok province. Operation Claw was launched in 2019 in Khakurk. This was followed by Claw-Tiger in June 2020. The third offensive was a ground and air cross-border operation, dubbed Claw-Lightning and Claw-Thunderbolt, launched in April 2021.
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 to remove the group from the border areas and cut off its access to mainland Turkey.
In February, the PKK unilaterally announced a truce with Turkey following the devastating earthquake that killed over 50,000 people. The truce did not stop Ankara from continuing its operations in the region and the PKK ended the ceasefire in June.
The ministry said in a statement that a sergeant was killed by “harassment fire” by the PKK.
The armed wing of the PKK on Friday claimed that its forces killed 29 Turkish soldiers in Kurdistan Region’s Zap area, Hawar News Agency (ANHA) reported.
Ankara has intensified its attacks on alleged positions of the PKK over the past two weeks after the group carried out an attack on a government building in the capital Ankara.
The PKK is an armed group that for decades has fought for the rights of Kurds in Turkey. It is designated a terrorist organization by Ankara, which has launched numerous operations against the group and its alleged offshoots in the Kurdistan Region and Syria.
Since 2019, Turkey has carried out several operations against the PKK in Kurdistan Region’s northern Duhok province. Operation Claw was launched in 2019 in Khakurk. This was followed by Claw-Tiger in June 2020. The third offensive was a ground and air cross-border operation, dubbed Claw-Lightning and Claw-Thunderbolt, launched in April 2021.
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 to remove the group from the border areas and cut off its access to mainland Turkey.
In February, the PKK unilaterally announced a truce with Turkey following the devastating earthquake that killed over 50,000 people. The truce did not stop Ankara from continuing its operations in the region and the PKK ended the ceasefire in June.
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