Türkiye airstrikes 29 targets in Syria and Iraq

A Turkish F-16 fighter (Illustration: Wikipedia).

Turkey's Defense Ministry said on January 13 that it had attacked suspected Kurdish positions after an attack on an Ankara military base in Iraq that killed nine Turkish soldiers.

Türkiye said it had targeted 29 sites - including "caves, bunkers and oil facilities" - belonging to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the People's Protection Units (YPG), a Syrian Kurdish group that is part of the US-led coalition against IS.

Türkiye regularly carries out strikes against sites in Syria and Iraq it suspects of being linked to the PKK.

Ankara, the United States and the European Union consider the PKK a terrorist group because of its 1980s insurgency against Türkiye. Türkiye also considers the YPG an extension of the PKK.

Türkiye's defense ministry said warplanes struck targets in Metina, Hakurk, Gara and Qandil in northern Iraq, but did not specify which areas in Syria.

Ankara said the purpose of the airstrikes was "to eliminate terrorist attacks against our people and security forces and to ensure the security of our borders".

The statement said that “many” armed Kurdish fighters were “neutralized” in the attacks, a term Türkiye uses to refer to those killed or captured.

On the evening of January 12, a Turkish base in northern Iraq was attacked, killing nine soldiers. Neither the PKK nor the Iraqi government has commented on the incident.

Türkiye launched Operation Claw-Lock in northern Iraq in April 2022, and Ankara subsequently established several bases in Duhok province. Iraq has repeatedly protested the presence of Turkish troops and called for their withdrawal.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan declared: "We will fight to the end against the PKK terrorist organization within and outside our borders."

Also on Saturday, 113 people were arrested on suspicion of PKK links in raids across the country, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/tho-nhi-ky-khong-kich-29-muc-tieu-tren-lanh-tho-syria-va-iraq-20240113192604623.htm