Turkey: 13 Kurdish Fighters Killed in Airstrikes in Northern Iraq

The Turkish Ministry of Defense stated on Friday that the Turkish army carried out airstrikes in northern Iraq, killing 13 Kurdish militants. The ministry reported on the X platform that 13 members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) were killed in airstrikes targeting the Hakurk region in northern Iraq, as well as areas where Turkey conducts its operation known as "Claw-Lock." It added, "Our operations will continue with determination until no terrorist remains in the area." The United States, the European Union, and Turkey classify the PKK as a terrorist organization. The group began an armed rebellion against the Turkish state in 1984, resulting in more than 40,000 deaths to date. Turkey periodically conducts airstrikes and cross-border operations against the PKK, which has bases in the mountains of northern Iraq. Turkey has intensified its attacks on Kurdish militants in Syria and Iraq in recent weeks following a bombing near government buildings in Ankara on October 1.