Two Turkish soldiers killed, three wounded in northern Iraq

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
26 Nov 2022 23:21
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The Turkish Ministry of Defense says two Turkish soldiers participating in the "Operation Claw-Sword" offensive were killed by PKK militants in Iraq.

Turkish troops

The Turkish Ministry of Defense announced on Saturday the death of two Turkish soldiers and the wounding of three others by Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) gunfire in northern Iraq, Anadolu Agency reported.

The news agency said Turkish Minister of Defense, Hulusi Akar, was in the state of Konya before returning to the capital, Ankara, after receiving the news and meeting with commanders of the ground forces.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia Al-Sudani stressed on Tuesday that the Iraqi government will take action against violations of Iraq's sovereignty.

On Wednesday, the Iraqi government took the decision to plan the redeployment of forces along the borders with Iran and Turkey as part of a series of decisions taken by Baghdad after two countries recently carried attacks on the locations of armed groups within Iraqi soil.

Akar announced on Sunday that Turkey has launched the "Operation Claw-Sword" offensive with airstrikes targeting Kurdish militants in both Iraq and Syria.

On Thursday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Turkey is planning to continue its offensive aimed at "eliminating terrorist bases" in northern Iraq and Syria.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had pointed to the possibility of ground forces participating in the Turkish offensive in northern Iraq and northern Syria.

It is noteworthy that the US Department of Defense had expressed concern over the recent uptick in military activity in northern Syria, Iraq, and Turkey, citing the danger they pose to efforts to defeat ISIS.