Iraq: Six soldiers killed in attack on Turkish base

Turkish defence ministry vows to ‘neutralise’ Kurdistan Workers Party fighters following attack

Sat, 12/23/2023 – 10:51

A picture taken on 26 October 2017 shows an Iraqi forces’ M1 Abrams main battle tank advancing towards the town of Faysh Khabur, which is located on the Turkish and Syrian borders in the Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region (Ahmad al-Rubaye/AFP)

Six Turkish soldiers were killed in an attack on a base in northern Iraq, the Turkish defence ministry announced on Saturday.

Turkey said the base, located near Hakurk, was attacked by members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) on Friday.

The ministry said a military operation was underway in response.

“Wherever it is, our fight against the terrorist organisation PKK/YPG will continue until the last terrorist is neutralized!” they said in a statement, referencing the PKK’s Syria-based sister organisation, the People’s Protection Units (YPG).

Turkey has installed numerous military bases in Kurdish-majority northern Iraq as part of its efforts to fight the PKK, who are designated a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the EU and US.

The PKK have fought a guerrilla war with Turkey since 1984, leading to more than 40,000 killed and rights abuses on both sides.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed in October to continue stepping up its strikes on “terrorist” targets in Iraq and Syria.

Inside Iraq

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