Shafaq News/ The Turkish National Defence Ministry confirmed on Monday that three Turkish soldiers were killed during an operation in northern Iraq.

According to the ministry's statement, “Soldiers Necdet Calis and Emrah Gunduz were martyred, and two others were wounded in an attack by members of a separatist terrorist organization in Turkey's Operation Claw-Lock zone. One of the wounded soldiers later succumbed to his injuries.”

Although the statement did not specify the affiliation of the attackers, the PKK group is known to be active in the region. Turkey initiated Operation Claw-Lock in April last year, explicitly targeting PKK hideouts in the Metina, Zap, and Avasin-Basyan regions of northern Iraq, situated near the Turkish border.

This operation followed two earlier ones, Claw-Tiger and Claw-Eagle, launched in 2020 to "eradicate terrorists" hiding in northern Iraq and planning cross-border attacks in Turkey.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union, has been engaged in a campaign against Turkey for more than 35 years. The conflict killed over 40,000 people, including women and children.