Turkey's jets strike Kurdish rebels in fresh 'Operation Claw-Eagle' offensive in northern Iraq

Turkish jets carried out cross-border strikes targeting PKK fighters, authorities confirmed, after launching the fresh offensive in northern Iraq.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab Staff & Agencies

15 June, 2020

The air strikes took place in northern Iraq [Getty]

Turkey’s jets carried out new cross-border air strikes targeting Turkish Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq on Monday, the Turkish defence ministry said.

Turkey frequently conducts aerial attacks against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, which maintains bases in northern Iraq.

The latest operation, codenamed ”’Operation Claw-Eagle,” hit suspected PKK targets in several regions in Iraq's north, including Sinjar, according to a tweet from the military, which claimed 81 PKK targets were struck, including shelters and caves.

The ministry said the jets took maximum care not to harm civilians and returned to their bases safely. There was no immediate statement from the PKK, which has waged a more than three-decade-old insurgency in southeastern Turkey.

Read also: Turkey's Erdogan tells Trump that Black Lives Matter protesters 'working with PKK'

There was also no immediate comment from Baghdad or northern Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region.

The PKK is considered a terror organisation by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. The conflict has led to the loss of tens of thousands lives since it started in 1984.

The strikes came a day after a rocket attack late on Saturday north of Baghdad hit an Iraqi base but missed US-led coalition troops stationed there.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

It was the third attack in a week to target US troops or diplomats.

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