ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) on Tuesday claimed to have killed three Turkish soldiers in the Kurdistan Region, a day after Ankara announced the death of one of its soldiers following clashes with the armed group.
Turkey’s defense ministry on Monday said one of their soldiers was killed in the “Operation Claw-Lock” areas that cover the Metina, Zap, Avashin, and Basyan areas in Kurdistan Region’s Duhok province.
The PKK claims to have killed three Turkish soldiers and damaged two helicopters, according to reports by media affiliate Firat News Agency (ANF).
Ankara has in the past few years intensified its campaign to eliminate the presence of PKK fighters around its borders, launching several operations in the Kurdistan Region as well as Syria where it claims to target proxies of the group.
In 2019, Turkey launched Operation Claw against the PKK in Khakurk. This was followed by Operation Claw-Tiger in June 2020. The third edition of the offensive was a ground and air cross-border operation, dubbed Operation Claw-Lightning and Operation Claw-Thunderbolt, launched in April 2021 focused on the PKK’s positions in the Kurdistan Region’s Duhok province.
The PKK is an armed group struggling for the increased rights of Kurds in Turkey but is considered a terrorist group by Ankara. The Turkish army often targets the group at home and abroad, especially in the Kurdistan Region.
The PKK announced a unilateral ceasefire in February after the country was hit by devastating earthquakes. It then extended the truce to the May 14 general election, but said it maintains the right to defend itself if attacked.
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