Türkiye ‘neutralizes’ 11 PKK terrorists in northern Iraq

Turkish security forces "neutralized" 11 PKK terrorists in northern Iraq, the National Defense Ministry said on Saturday.

Terrorists were targeted in northern Iraq's Harkuk and Operation Claw-Lock regions, the ministry said in a statement.

Turkish authorities use the term "neutralize" to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.

Türkiye launched Operation Claw-Lock in April to target the PKK terror group's hideouts in the Metina, Zap, and Avasin-Basyan regions of northern Iraq, located near the Turkish border.

It was preceded by two operations-Claw-Tiger and Claw-Eagle-launched in 2020 to root out terrorists hiding out in northern Iraq and plotting 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 U.S., and EU-has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.