Turkish soldier killed in northern Iraq

The Turkish General Staff said in a statement that Infantry First Lieutenant Mehmet Düzenli, who was killed during clashes with the PKK militants in northern Iraq, was serving in the Kanimasi base area, which had been operating since 1995 in northern Iraq across the border from the Çukurca district of Turkey’s southeastern province of Hakkari.

Voice of America (VOA) radio reported that the Turkish warplanes bombarded the area following clashes with PKK militants. The Kurdish service of the radio station added that PKK militants opened fire on soldiers with sharpshooters as soldiers responded with heavy weapons. It said the clashes also created fear in the region. 

Around 2,000 soldiers are currently serving at Turkish military bases in Kanimasi, Begova, Bamerni and Şeladze, which were built in 1995 to prevent clashes between the Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (IKDP) led by Masoud Barzani and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (KYB) led by former Iraqi President Jalal Talabani.

Turkish troops in the region generally conduct intelligence and surveillance activities rather than carry out operational missions against the PKK. The base in Kanimasi is bordered by Turkey on one side and the Metina mountain range on the other side.