Six more Turkish soldiers died this Saturday in combat with the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraqwhere six soldiers died on Friday in a confrontation with the guerrilla, the Turkish Ministry of Defense reported in a statement.
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“Six of our comrades have fallen and one has been wounded in a combat that occurred when terrorists tried to infiltrate a base in the region,” the statement said.
He adds that, according to the first data, thirteen guerrillas have died in the fighting, but that the clashes continue and the Army is also carrying out air operations.
The aerial bombardments They have destroyed 29 objectives, including shelters, ammunition depots and oil facilities, says a second statement from the Ministry.
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Last night there were already fights with the PKK in the same area, in which they died initially three soldierswhile three others died shortly after from their injuries.
With today’s fighting, the total balance rises to twelve turkish soldiers died in the last 24 hours, in addition to two injured, an unusually high number for this region.
So far this year, including the casualties announced today, 46 Turkish soldiers have died in northern Iraq in confrontations with the guerrilla.
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Since 2019, Ankara has permanently maintained troops in a border strip about 30 kilometers wide south of the Turkish border, in mountainous terrain in Iraq where the PKK has caves, tunnel systems, ammunition depots and rear posts.
In recent years, fighting between the Turkish armed forces and the P.K.K. have almost always taken place in northern Iraq, with very few clashes in Turkish.
