3 killed in Turkish drone attack on Kurdistan Workers' Party members
Aug 12, 2023
Ankara [Turkey], August 12 : A Turkish drone strike killed three persons from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Turkey's Ministry of Defence said.
On a social media account X (formerly known as Twitter), Turkey's Ministry of Defence, on Saturday, said that three members from PKK have been identified in the Operation Claw-Lock region in northern Iraq and have been neutralized.
"Our heroic Turkish Armed Forces continues to strike down the iron fist on terrorists! Three PKK terrorists identified in the Operation Claw-Lock Operation region in northern Iraq were neutralized. Our operations will continue with determination until there is not a single terrorist left in the region!" the ministry said in a tweet.
There has been a long-running Turkish campaign in Iraq and Syria against militants of the PKK and the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, which are both regarded as terrorist groups by Ankara.
According to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, PKK's ideology is founded on revolutionary Marxism-Leninism and separatist ethno-nationalism. PKK wants to suppress the diversity of Turkey, prevent the participation and integration of Turkey's citizens of Kurdish origin and intimidate the people in the region.
As per the ministry, PKK found a safe haven in Syria in 1998. Then its leader Abdullah Öcalan had to flee the country only to be captured several months later. He is now serving a life sentence in a prison in Turkey.
On Friday, the Turkish Defence Ministry said that a total of 19 people from PKK and YPG were neutralised on Thursday and Friday.
"Terrorists' fearful dream, our Hero Commandos continue to bury PKK/YPG terrorists in trenches wherever they are. 12 terrorists preparing to attack in northern Syria were neutralized in a successful operation. Thus, a total of 19 terrorists in northern Iraq and northern Syria were neutralized yesterday and today," the ministry said in a tweet.
