Turkish Soldier Killed in Clash with PKK in Northern Iraq

The Turkish Ministry of Defense announced that a soldier was killed on Monday during a clash with militants from the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in northern Iraq. Turkish airstrikes reportedly “neutralized” a number of militants.

The ministry stated that the strikes destroyed 21 PKK targets. The soldier was killed in a clash in the Gara region, and Turkish air forces targeted PKK bases in Gara, Hakurk, Metina, and Qandil, according to Reuters.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union. The group has been waging an armed insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984, resulting in the deaths of over 40,000 people.

Turkey has been conducting cross-border military operations against militants for years, with almost half of the Syrian territories adjacent to Turkey and all of the Iraqi territories near Turkey under Turkish military control or supervision.