7th Turkish soldier killed during Ankara offensive in Iraq
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The Turkish Defense Ministry said that an explosive device blew up killing one soldier and injuring another in northern Iraq.
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Turkish soldiers
The Turkish Defense Ministry confirmed on Sunday that one Turkish soldier was killed and another was injured in northern Iraq, where Ankara is launching its military offensive "Operation Claw-Lock" against fighters from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
In a statement, the defense ministry said that an explosive device blew up while the two soldiers were walking. The death toll of Turkish soldiers killed in Iraq since last Tuesday increased to seven.
It is noteworthy that Ankara frequently carries out illegal attacks in Iraq, targeting PKK bases and training camps in the Sinjar region and other mountainous regions in the Iraqi Kurdistan region bordering Turkey.
On May 24, the Turkish Ministry of Defense confirmed the death of four soldiers and the wounding of five others during the "​offensive in northern Iraq.
In mid-April, Turkey announced the implementation of the new military offensive against the PKK. "Operation Claw-Lock" comes after "Operation Tiger Claw" and "Eagle Claw", launched by the Turkish army in northern Iraq in the year 2020.
Turkey hints at new military actions on southern borders
In the same context, the Turkish National Security Council hinted Thursday at a "new military operation" on Turkey's southern borders.
Iraq and Syria are on Turkey's southern borders, and the "operations" could see Ankara bolstering its occupation of Syrian and Iraqi territories to "safeguard" its security.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had announced that the Turkish army intended to "launch counterterrorism operations on Turkey's borders [...] the decision about these operations will be taken seen."
Anakara, according to Erdogan, "will start taking new steps to complete the safe zone 30 km into Syrian soil" noting that the Turkish forces would prioritize the areas used to launch attacks on Turkish-occupied areas.
Turkey 'safe zone' in Syria is colonization: Damascus to UN
In response to Ankara's plans, the Syrian ministry of foreign affairs sent a message to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the UN Security Council protesting against Turkey's plans to establish a "safe zone" on Syrian soil. Damascus considered the move "a form of aggression against Damascus."
"What the Turkish regime is doing to establish a so-called safe zone on Syrian soil is an act of aggression and an act of colonization through which the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is seeking to create an [unstable] outpost in Syria," Damascus said on Wednesday in a statement reported by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).
