News / Turkey

Six PKK militants killed as Turkish jets pound northern Iraq

Sunday, 07 January 2018 2:48 PM [ Last Update: Sunday, 07 January 2018 5:50 PM ]

This file photo shows Turkish fighter jets in flights. (Photo by Anadolu news agency)

Six members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) have been killed when Turkish military aircraft carried out a string of aerial attacks against the militants’ positions in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.

The Turkish General Staff announced in a statement on Sunday that the terrorists were killed when Turkish fighter jets struck their positions in Kani Rash town of the region.

The slain terrorists were reportedly planning an attack on Turkish military posts and bases.

The Turkish jets safely returned to their bases following the operations, the military statement added.

The Turkish military stated on December 27, 2017 that nine PKK terrorists were killed when Turkish warplanes bombarded their hideouts in the Hakurk, Zap, Avasin Basyan, and Metina districts in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.

The militants were purportedly planning attacks on Turkish military bases along the border.

The statement further noted that considerable amounts of munitions belonging to PKK terrorists were destroyed in the aerial attacks.

Ankara has been engaged in a large-scale campaign against the PKK in its southern border region. The Turkish military has also been conducting offensives against the positions of the group in northern Iraq.

The operations began in the wake of a deadly bombing in the southern Turkish town of Suruc in July 2015. More than 30 people died in the attack, which the Turkish government blamed on the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group.

After the bombing, the PKK militants, who accused the government in Ankara of supporting Daesh, engaged in a series of attacks against Turkish police and security forces, prompting the Turkish military operations.

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