Turkiye conducts airstrikes on PKK targets in northern Iraq, destroys 25 sites
Shafaq News/ On Saturday, Turkiye's Ministry of Defense announced that, on Friday, it carried out airstrikes on Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) targets in the "Gara, Qandil, and Asos" regions of Kurdistan, destroying 25 sites, including locations housing senior figures.
In a statement reported by Turkiye's official Anadolu Agency, the ministry said, "In order to neutralize PKK/KCK and other terrorist elements, thwart terrorist attacks against our people and security forces originating from northern Iraq, and ensure our border security, an air operation was conducted on July 26, 2024."
The ministry added that the airstrikes targeted, "which were assessed to house high-level terrorists," including caves, shelters, depots, and facilities used by PKK leaders, were destroyed.
On Friday, Turkish warplanes bombarded Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) positions in the eastern Duhok governorate in Iraqi Kurdistan.
A security source told Shafaq News Agency that Turkish aircraft conducted a "morning raid on PKK sites in the Shikhan district, east of Duhok, as well as the vicinity of Batas village in the Kasrok subdistrict."
On Tuesday, another security source reported that Turkish warplanes conducted airstrikes on PKK positions in the Gara Mountain area overlooking Al-Amadiya district.
Turkiye has bolstered its dialogue channels with Iraq about the PKK presence and the frequent attacks.
In an interview with Anadolu News Agency, Turkish Ambassador to Baghdad Anil Bora Inan expressed Turkiye's understanding of Iraq's situation, given its challenges with terrorism. He described the Iraqi people as "friends, neighbors, and close ones who have endured hardships unworthy of human dignity."
Significant progress has been made between Ankara and Baghdad regarding the fight against the Kurdistan Workers' Party, Inan said, pointing to the activation of a high-level security mechanism between the two countries following Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan's visit to Iraq in August 2023.
In this context, Inan highlighted that the PKK was designated a "common threat" to both countries in a meeting in Ankara in December 2023 and was declared a "banned organization" in a meeting in March 2024. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani also declared the PKK a "banned" entity in all state institutions.
"Ongoing military operations by the Turkish Armed Forces in northern Iraq are conducted with full respect for Iraq's territorial integrity and aim to eliminate the PKK, which poses a national security threat to both Turkiye and Iraq," the Ambassador explained.
