By Seda Sevencan
ISTANBUL (AA) — Turkish airstrikes in northern Iraq and Syria destroyed 24 PKK terror targets on Sunday, including high-ranking terrorists, according to Türkiye's National Defense Ministry.
Air operations were conducted against targets in the Metina, Hakurk, Gara, Qandil, and Asos regions of Iraq, along with parts of northern Syria, in line with Türkiye's right to self-defense arising from Article 51 of the UN Charter, the ministry said in a statement.
Targets included caves, hideouts, depots storing ammunition and other materials, shelters, and even a natural gas production facility. These sites were evaluated to be housing senior terrorists.
Security forces cracked down on PKK terrorists following the killing of nine Turkish soldiers in a terror attack in northern Iraq Friday.
The attack took place in the zone of Operation Claw-Lock, which Türkiye launched in April 2022 to target the PKK terror organization's hideouts in Iraq's northern Metina, Zap, and Avasin-Basyan regions near the Turkish border.
PKK terrorists often hide out in northern Iraq to plot cross-border attacks in Türkiye.
In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK — listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and EU — has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.