A PKK assault killed three Turkish troopers in northern Iraq, prompting a retaliatory air assault, Turkey says.
At the least three Turkish troopers have been killed in an assault in northern Iraq launched by outlawed Kurdish fighters, prompting a retaliatory air assault, in line with the Turkish defence ministry.
“Three of our heroic troopers have been killed in an assault staged by the terrorists within the north of Iraq,” the ministry stated on Thursday, referring to the Kurdistan Employees’ Celebration (PKK).
Turkish fighter jets hit suspected PKK posts to “neutralise” six fighters, an announcement on the ministry web site stated, including {that a} navy offensive was beneath means within the area. “Neutralised” is usually used to imply killed.
Turkish forces routinely conduct navy assaults in opposition to PKK hideouts within the mountains of northern Iraq, inflicting strains in its relations with the central Iraqi authorities in Baghdad.
Turkey launched its newest main air and floor offensive in April, concentrating on rear bases Kurdish fighters have used to wage a decades-long armed revolt in opposition to the Turkish state.
The armed battle has killed greater than 40,000 individuals since 1984.
Turkey additionally has a navy presence in neighbouring Syria, the place it has seized swaths of territory in successive navy operations since 2016 which have principally focused one other Kurdish insurgent group.
In October, the Turkish parliament accredited an extension of navy operations in Syria and Iraq for one more two years.
