Turkish soldier martyred amid anti-terror op in northern Iraq
- Middle East
- Anadolu Agency
- Published Date: 11:01 | 22 June 2022
- Modified Date: 11:01 | 22 June 2022
A Turkish soldier was martyred in northern Iraq where the Turkish army has launched Operation Claw-Lock to rid the area of terror elements, the Ministry of National Defense said early Wednesday.
The ministry said in a statement that the soldier, Sercan Bas, was killed following harassing fire opened by terrorists whose affiliation was not specified. However, the PKK terror group is known to be active in the region.
Türkiye launched Operation Claw-Lock in April to target the PKK terror organization's hideouts in Iraq's northern Metina, Zap, and Avasin-Basyan regions, near the Turkish border.
It was preceded by Operations Claw-Tiger and Claw-Eagle, which were launched in 2020 to root out terrorists hiding 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 US and EU-has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.