Three Turkish soldiers killed by PKK terror attack in northern Iraq
ANKARA
Three soldiers were killed by PKK terrorists in Turkey's cross-border operation zone in northern Iraq, according to a statement by the Turkish National Defense Ministry on Aug. 16.
The statement said three Turkish soldiers were "martyred" and two others injured when an improvised explosive device planted by terrorists in the Operation Pençe-Yıldırım zone detonated on Sunday.
It added that the injured soldiers are currently under treatment at the hospital.
The ministry extended its condolences to the families of the soldiers who lost their lives, the Turkish Armed Forces, and the nation, and wished a speedy recovery to those injured.
The Pençe operations involve a series of offensives that Turkey has carried out since 2019 against terrorist organizations in northern Iraq, particularly the PKK.
The latest ones are the Pençe-Şimşek and Pençe-Yıldırım operations, launched by Ankara on April 23 in northern Iraq’s Metina and Avaşin-Basyan regions near its borders.
The PKK terror group often hides out in northern Iraq just across Turkey's southern border to plot terror attacks in Turkey.
In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union- has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. The YPG is the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.
