Two Turkish airstrikes hit Northern Iraq, ‘neutralize’ 49 PKK militants
ANKARA
A total of 49 militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) were “neutralized” in two air raids on Jan. 29 in northern Iraq, the Turkish military said on Feb. 1.
According to a statement by the Turkish General Staff, two air operations were conducted against the PKK in northern Iraq’s Qandil, Zap, Avasin-Basyan and Hakurk regions.
Airstrikes on PKK targets in northern Iraq, where the PKK has its main base in the Mt. Qandil region, near the Iranian border, have been carried out regularly since July 2015.
The airstrikes took place amid the Turkish-led “Operation Olive Branch” in the Afrin district of northwestern Syria, an operation that targets the U.S.-backed People’s Protection Units (YPG), which Ankara considers a terrorist group for its links to the PKK.
