Overview
- Turkey launched airstrikes against Kurdish militants in Syria and Iraq in response to an attack on a Turkish military base in Iraq that left nine soldiers dead.
- Turkish jets destroyed 29 bunkers, shelters, caves and oil facilities across the Metina, Hakurk, Gara and Qandil regions in northern Iraq and northern Syria, according to Turkey’s defense ministry.
- The targeted sites belonged to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the People’s Protection Units (YPG), both considered terrorist organizations by Turkey.
- The Turkish military has been present in northern Iraq since April 2022 as part of Operation Claw-Lock, aiming to dismantle the PKK’s foothold and prevent cross-border guerrilla raids into Turkey.
- Despite repeated calls from the Iraqi government for Ankara’s withdrawal, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has vowed to stay until the mission is complete.