Turkish Interior Minister: We Will Establish a Base in Northern Iraq Similar to What We Did in Syria

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu announced Turkey's intention to establish a base in northern Iraq to control the situation near its southern borders. Turkish media reported on Friday that during a meeting of the Central Administrative Committee and the Executive Council of the ruling "Justice and Development" Party, Soylu emphasized the strategic importance of the Metina region in northern Iraq, where the Turkish military recently launched a new military operation. He explained that this area is close to the Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq, which are considered one of the main strongholds of the "Kurdistan Workers' Party" (PKK), designated as a terrorist organization by Ankara. The Turkish minister stated, "Our operations in northern Iraq will continue, and the Metina area is an important place. Similar to what we did in Syria, we will establish a base there, and we will control the region." In the meantime, the Turkish Ministry of Defense announced in a statement that operations against the PKK in northern Iraq are ongoing without interruption, as part of "Lightning Claw" and "Thunderbolt" operations, in addition to efforts to locate and destroy weapons, ammunition, and explosives.