ISTANBUL: Turkey’s military carried out airstrikes in northern Iraq and Syria on Sunday and destroyed 24 Kurdish militant targets.
The Turkish Defense Ministry in a statement said many militants had been neutralized in the strikes.
It said the operations were conducted in northern Syria and Metina, Hakurk, Gara, Asos and Qandil regions of northern Iraq at 10 p.m. (1900 GMT).
In a statement on social media platform X, the ministry said the targets included shelters, bunkers, caves, depots and natural gas production facilities.
Çelikten pençelerimiz teröristlerin inlerini paramparça etmeye devam ediyor.
Irak’ın kuzeyindeki Metina ve Gara bölgelerine düzenlenen ani hava harekâtları ile 10 PKK’lı terörist daha etkisiz hâle getirildi.#MillîSavunmaBakanlığı pic.twitter.com/D0i3ODJsYQ
— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) January 14, 2024
Earlier on Friday, nine Turkish soldiers were killed in a clash with members of banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
Turkish forces have been conducting cross-border operation called “Claw-Lock” in Iraq as part of the country’s operation against the PKK militants.
Turkey has also started military incursions in Syria targeting the Kurdish YPG militia, regarding it as an arm of the PKK.
Turkey, the United States and the European Union have, designated the PKK a terrorist group after it took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984.
READ ALSO: Gaza Death Toll Nears 24,000 in 100 Days of Israeli Bombardments
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in October, reiterated the country’s commitment to intensifying strikes on what he termed “terrorist” targets in both Iraq and Syria. The PKK has been responsible for several attacks against Turkish security forces.
In October, Turkish parliament authorized its military to launch cross-border operations in Syria and Iraq for two more years.
