Turkiye announces killing of 13 YPG and PKK members in Iraq and Syria
Shafaq News/ On Tuesday, the Turkish Ministry of Defense announced the killing of 13 members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Iraq and the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in Syria.
In a brief statement reported by Anadolu Agency, the ministry stated, “The Turkish Armed Forces killed 11 PKK members in the Claw-Lock operations in northern Iraq, and 2 YPG members in the Peace Spring operations in northern Syria.”
On Sunday, the ministry also confirmed the killing of two YPG members detected in the area of Operation "Euphrates Shield" (Fırat Kalkanı) in Syria, reiterating its determination to continue operations against the PKK and its affiliates.
Turkiye, in coordination with the Syrian National Army, has conducted several military operations in northern Syria, including "Euphrates Shield" in 2016, "Olive Branch (Zeytın Dalı)" in 2018, and "Peace Spring (Barış Pınarı)" in 2019, targeting ISIS and the YPG, which Turkiye considers linked to the PKK.
The PKK operates across several countries in the region, including Iraq, Syria, and Iran.
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.
