Not less than 6 Turkish troopers killed in assaults by Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq, Ankara says

ISTANBUL — Turkey’s protection ministry stated on Thursday {that a} spate of assaults the day prior to this and in a single day by Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq killed at the least six Turkish troopers.

The assaults prompted retaliatory airstrikes that left 4 members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, lifeless on Thursday, based on a social media submit shared later by the ministry.

The violence is the most recent in a monthslong escalation between Turkey and Turkish-backed teams on one aspect, and Kurdish fighters in Iraq and Syria on the opposite.

Ankara considers the PKK – which has waged a decadeslong insurgency inside Turkey – and allied Kurdish teams in Syria and Iraq as terrorist organizations. It claims members of the PKK recurrently discover sanctuary in northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish area.

There was no instant remark from Iraq’s central authorities in Baghdad.

Earlier, authorities in northern Iraq’s Kurdish area stated two separate Turkish drone strikes on Wednesday in assaults in Iraq’s Sulaymaniyah province concentrating on PKK autos killed two insurgents and wounded 4.

Turkey maintains troops in a border area in Iraq and recurrently targets what it says are PKK positions there. Last 12 months, it launched a floor and air operation dubbed Claw-Lock, towards the PKK in northern Iraq.

Iraqi safety officers stated Thursday’s airstrikes hit positions north of town of Duhok. The officers spoke on situation of anonymity as a result of they weren’t authorities to talk to the media.

Turkish Col. Zeki Akturk vowed to avenge the troops killed.

“Our soldiers will not leave the blood of the martyrs on the ground,” he stated at a information convention on Thursday, including that Turkish forces “will continue their fight against terrorism with the same determination until there is not a single terrorist left.”

Since 1984, the PKK’s insurgency inside Turkey has killed tens of hundreds of individuals.

___