From the Associated Press 18 April 2022, 07:11 • 2 minutes reading Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Email this article ANKARA, Turkey – Turkey has launched a new ground and air cross-border offensive against Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq, the Turkish Defense Ministry announced early Monday. Turkish warplanes and artillery hit targets belonging to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, and commando troops – backed by helicopters and drones – then flew over the area or were transported by helicopter, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said in a video on the ministry’s website. Akar said the planes had successfully hit shelters, warehouses, caves, tunnels, ammunition depots and PKK-owned headquarters. The group maintains bases in northern Iraq and has used the ground for attacks in Turkey. Turkey has carried out numerous cross-border air and ground operations against the PKK in recent decades. The latest attack focused on the Metina, Zap and Avashin-Basyan areas of northern Iraq, Akar said. “Our operation continues successfully, as planned. “The goals set for the first phase have been achieved,” Akar said. There is no information on the number of troops and jets involved in the latest invasion. “We are determined to save our noble nation from the terrorist misfortune that has plagued our country for 40 years,” Akar said. “Our struggle will continue until the last terrorist is neutralized.” The Pentagon later said the attack, dubbed “Operation Claw Lock,” was launched after it was found that the fighters were regrouping and preparing for a “large-scale attack.” The attack was carried out in coordination with Turkey’s “friends and allies”, the ministry added, but did not provide further details. Last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Masour Barzani, the prime minister of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region, which controls the attacked areas. The Turkish minister said the invasion was aimed at “terrorists” and that “maximum sensitivity” was being shown to avoid harm to civilians and cultural and religious structures. There was no immediate statement from the Kurdish militant group. Tens of thousands of people have been killed since the PKK, which has been branded a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union, launched an uprising in Turkey’s Kurdish southeast in 1984.
title: “Turkey Launches New Ground Air Offensive In Northern Iraq " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-02” author: “Robert Wiener”
Turkish planes and artillery hit suspected targets of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, and commando troops – backed by helicopters and drones – then flew over the area or were transported by helicopter, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said in a video posted on the website. of the ministry. Akar said the planes had successfully hit shelters, warehouses, caves, tunnels, ammunition depots and PKK-owned headquarters. The group maintains bases in northern Iraq and has used the ground for attacks in Turkey. At least 19 fighters were killed and four Turkish soldiers were injured during the attack, the ministry said. There was no immediate comment from the Kurdish militant group on the invasion and the Defense Ministry statement could not be independently verified. Turkey has carried out numerous cross-border air and ground operations against the PKK in recent decades. The latest attack, called Operation Claw Lock, focused on the Metina, Zap and Avashin-Basyan areas of northern Iraq. There is no information on the number of troops and jets involved in the latest invasion. “Our heroic commandos and our crimson berets – backed by attack helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, armed unmanned aerial vehicles – arrived on the scene by land and air and captured the designated targets,” Akar said in a second video. “Many terrorists have been neutralized.” “We have reached this point, all the planned targets have been captured,” he said. The Ministry of Defense said the new attack began after it was found that the fighters were regrouping and preparing for a “large-scale attack”. The attack was carried out in coordination with Turkey’s “friends and allies”, the ministry added, but did not provide further details. Last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Masour Barzani, the prime minister of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region, which controls the attacked areas. The Turkish minister said the invasion was aimed at “terrorists” and that “maximum sensitivity” was being shown to avoid harm to civilians and cultural and religious structures. Tens of thousands of people have been killed since the PKK, which has been branded a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union, launched an uprising in Turkey’s Kurdish southeast in 1984.