Shafaq News/On Thursday, intense clashes broke out between the Turkish military and the KurdistanWorkers' Party (PKK) near the village of Koherzi in the Metin mountain range innorthern Duhok of Iraqi Kurdistan, an Iraqi security source reported.
"TheTurkish warplanes conducted airstrikes on the site of the clashes, escalatingtensions in the region," the source told Shafaq News Agency.
The fightingfollowed heavy bombardment by Turkish aircraft targeting PKK positions in thestrategic Metin mountain area, overlooking Al-Amadiya district in northernDuhok Governorate.
Turkishforces frequently carry out airstrikes in northern Iraq, targeting PKK bases.These operations often result in civilian casualties and damage toinfrastructure.
The conflictbetween Turkiye and the PKK dates back to the early 1980s when the PKK, foundedby Abdullah Öcalan, began advocating for an independent Kurdish state withinTurkiye.
Throughoutthe 1980s and 1990s, the conflict intensified, with the PKK engaging inguerrilla warfare and the Turkish military conducting large-scale operationsagainst PKK bases, particularly in southeastern Turkiye and northern Iraq.