Turkish forces kill 4 Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq airstrike

The Turkish military said in a statement on Monday that its forces killed at least four Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq.

"Our heroic Turkish Armed Forces continue to destroy the terror nests in northern Iraq. Four PKK terrorists, who were identified in the Zap region, were neutralised in an air operation," the defence ministry said on Twitter.

Kahraman Türk Silahlı Kuvvetlerimiz, Irak’ın kuzeyindeki terör inlerini yerle bir etmeye devam ediyor.

Irak’ın kuzeyindeki Zap bölgesinde tespit edilen 4 PKK’lı terörist daha hava harekâtı ile etkisiz hâle getirildi.#MSB #TSK pic.twitter.com/AOMLpQA9GE

— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) July 12, 2021

The PKK, or the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, is considered a terrorist organisation by Ankara.

Both sides have been embroiled in a conflict for decades, and Turkey has routinely carried out attacks in Iraq’s northern Kurdish region against PKK targets.

In April, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dubbed the latest offensive Operation Claw-Lightning.

Erdogan said the offensive was designed "to completely end the presence of the terror threat … along our southern borders".

"There’s no room for the separatist terror group in the future of Turkey, Iraq or Syria," Erdogan said in reference to the Kurdish fighters.

"We will keep on fighting until we eradicate these gangs of murderers who cause nothing but tears and destruction."