Turkey launched a series of airstrikes targeting positions of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region on Tuesday, according to the Turkish Defense Ministry. This operation was a response to an earlier attack that resulted in the death of one Turkish soldier and injuries to four others. Turkish warplanes targeted areas in Metina, Zap, Hakurk, Gara, and Qandil, destroying 27 PKK facilities, including caves, bunkers, and shelters. The PKK, which has not commented on the strikes, is a Kurdish separatist group that has been in conflict with Turkey since the 1980s, leading to its designation as a terrorist organization by Ankara.
The airstrikes follow recent high-level discussions between Turkish and Iraqi officials, including Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his Iraqi counterpart, Fuad Hussein. These talks highlighted the PKK’s presence in Iraq as a security concern for both nations. Despite the PKK’s established positions in the Kurdish region of Iraq, the group is officially banned from launching attacks against Turkey from Iraqi soil. Yet, it continues to operate within this semi-autonomous area, often evading the control of the central Iraqi government.
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