Turkish warplanes destroy PKK camps in northern Iraq

ANKARA

Turkish warplanes conducted an airstrike in northern Iraq on May 8, destroying outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) positions and camps, the military has announced.    
  
Air strikes on camps in the Metina, Zap, Avasin-Basyan and Gara regions led to the destruction of three caves and four bunkers belonging to militants who were preparing for attacks, the Turkish General Staff said in a statement.      

Three different camp areas were also destroyed in the attack, it added.      

The Turkish Air Force has been conducting regular airstrikes on PKK facilities in both northern Iraq and inside the country since July 2015.

Turkish warplanes recently conducted airstrikes in the Karaçok province and Mt. Sinjar in Iraq in late April targeting the PKK, the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its armed wing Peoples’ Protection Units (YPG) positions there.

The Turkish military said the airstrikes, which local governments as well as the U.S. and Russia were notified about in advance, were intended to prevent the PKK from sending terrorists, arms, ammunition, and explosives to Turkey.      
 
In the wake of the operation, U.S.-led coalition forces against ISIL began patrolling the Turkey-Syria border to prevent further strikes.