Turkish airstrikes kill 17 Kurdish militants in northern Iraq, ministry says

PHOTO CAPTION: A Turkish Air Force F-4 Phantom is seen at Incirlik Air Base, Türkiye, Sept. 20, 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Peter Reft via U.S. Defense Visual Information Distribution Service)

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's military conducted airstrikes in northern Iraq and "neutralised" 17 members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), the defence ministry said on Monday.

Turkey, which typically uses the term neutralised to mean killed, has been carrying out a cross-border operation called Claw-Lock in Iraq as part of its offensive against PKK militants.

The PKK, which has been waging an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984, is designated a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

Turkey has also launched military incursions in Syria against the Kurdish YPG militia, regarding it as a wing of the PKK.



(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Writing by Burcu Karakas; Editing by Ros Russell)