Shafaq News/ The Turkish Ministry of Defense announced, on Monday, that it killed 23 members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in airstrikes carried out in the Kurdistan Region.

The ministry said that Turkish fighter jets conducted air raids on PKK positions across various areas in Kurdistan, resulting in the deaths of 23 PKK members, as reported by Anadolu Agency.

The ministry affirmed Turkiye's determination and capability to continue its operations against the PKK.

Since last week, Turkiye’s airstrikes on the PKK intensified following the armed attack on the Turkish Aerospace Industries complex (TUSAŞ) in the Kahramankazan district of Ankara, Turkiye's capital.

The conflict between Turkiye and the PKK dates back to the early 1980s when the PKK, founded by Abdullah Ocalan, began advocating for an independent Kurdish state within Turkiye.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the conflict intensified, with the PKK engaging in guerrilla warfare and the Turkish military conducting large-scale operations against PKK bases, particularly in southeastern Turkiye and northern Iraq.

The early 2000s saw intermittent ceasefires and attempts at peace negotiations, including a notable peace process in 2013. However, this process collapsed in 2015, leading to renewed hostilities.