Turkey Begins a new offensive against the Kurds in Northern Iraq using both air and ground assets.
The PKK has been fighting the Turkish state since 1984 when it was designated as a “terrorist” group by Ankara and its Western allies.
Akar stated on Monday that commando units and special troops, supported by unmanned aerial vehicles and assault helicopters, are targeting PKK hideouts in the Metina, Zap, and Avashin-Basyan regions of northern Iraq as part of Operation Claw-Lock.
The operation, which began Sunday night, was launched when it was discovered that the PKK was plotting a large-scale attack against Turkey, according to the defense ministry.
For weeks, the operation’s planning had been disclosed in Turkish media. It came two days after Masrour Barzani, the prime minister of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region, on a rare visit to Turkey, implying that he had been briefed about Ankara’s plans.
Following his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Barzani stated that he was looking forward to “increasing collaboration to promote security and stability” in northern Iraq.
The PKK, whose existence hinders the region’s lucrative commercial connections with Turkey, has an acrimonious relationship with the Kurdistan Regional Government.
The offensives have strained relations between Ankara and Iraq’s central government in Baghdad, which accuses Turkey of violating the country’s territorial integrity.
