Türkiye’s communications director hails anti-terror airstrikes in northern Iraq

By Yesim Sert Karaaslan

Türkiye’s communications director hailed the successful airstrikes Sunday on terrorist PKK hideouts and targets in northern Iraq near the Turkish border.

“The successful air operations carried out by our heroic army against the separatist terrorist organization in the north of Iraq tonight have been an important indicator that we will continue to not tolerate terrorism not only within our country but also beyond our borders. With these operations, the terrorist organization has suffered another major blow," Fahrettin Altun said on X.

Altun said that under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, all security units will continue to work day and night to further the progress they have made over the years in the fight against terrorism to succeed in the strategy of eliminating terrorism at its source and not to leave a single terrorist threatening Türkiye.

Turkish warplanes destroyed 20 terrorist PKK targets and “neutralized” numerous terrorists in the airstrikes on Sunday, the National Defense Ministry announced.

The strikes were launched to “eliminate terrorist attacks against our people and security forces from northern Iraq by neutralizing PKK and other terrorist elements and to ensure border security in line with our self-defense rights arising from Article 51 of the United Nations Charter,” said the ministry’s statement.

PKK terrorists often hide out across the border in northern Iraq to plot terrorist 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 the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.