Turkey says it 'neutralized' 34 PKK militants in Iraq on July 17-19
Turkey’s
Defense Ministry said on Saturday it had “neutralized” 34 Kurdistan Workers
Party (PKK) militants in northern Iraq in air strikes on July 17-19.
Sixteen
militants were “neutralized” in air strikes on northern Iraq’s Qandil region on
July 17, and 18 in air strikes on the Karacak region on July 19, it said. The
ministry commonly uses the term “neutralized” to refer to those killed but it
can also refer to those wounded or captured.
The
PKK, considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and
European Union, has waged an insurgency for autonomy in Turkey’s largely
Kurdish southeast since 1984. It has fighters based in northern Iraq, mainly in
the Qandil region.
The
Defense Ministry said it had “neutralized” a total of 255 PKK militants in
operations in northern Iraq since May 27, when Ankara launched an offensive
there against the PKK.
Turkey
frequently launches air strikes in the region but the latest campaign, dubbed
“Operation Claw”, has included artillery fire and ground operations.