Turkish Defense Ministry reports killing 13 PKK members in Iraq and Syria
Shafaq News/ The Turkish Defense Ministry announced, on Tuesday, that 13 members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) were killed in Iraq and Syria.
According to a statement reported by Anadolu Agency, “Turkish armed forces killed 11 members of the PKK/YPG in the Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch regions in northern Syria, and two more PKK members in the Gara region in northern Iraq.”
The Turkish forces have conducted several military operations in northern Syria in collaboration with the Syrian National Army, including Operation Euphrates Shield in 2016, Operation Olive Branch in 2018, and Operation Peace Spring in 2019, targeting ISIS and the PKK.
The conflict between Turkiye and the PKK dates back to the early 1980s when the PKK started 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.
On August 15, after two days of high-level security talks in Ankara, Turkiye and Iraq signed an agreement focusing on military, security, and counter-terrorism cooperation, explicitly targeting the PKK. This agreement includes establishing joint coordination and training centers in Baghdad and Bashiqa.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, speaking alongside his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein after talks in Ankara, described the defense agreement as having "historical importance." Hussein noted that the accord was "the first in the history of Iraq and Turkiye" in this field.
Notably, after signing the agreement, Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler told Reuters that the recent counter-terrorism measures taken by Turkiye and Iraq marked a turning point in their relations. He added that Ankara wanted Baghdad to take an additional step and officially designate the PKK as a terrorist organization as soon as possible.
