Turkish soldier killed in northern Kurdistan Region

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Turkish forces in the Kurdistan Region’s Mount Matina came under mortar shelling on Thursday that killed one soldier, according to the country’s defense ministry.

The Turkish defense ministry alleged that the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) was behind the attack in Duhok province, to which it retaliated immediately.

One soldier was critically injured and died while undergoing treatment in hospital, the ministry said.

In response, the ministry said Turkish forces had “neutralized” PKK fighters – a term Ankara uses to mean wounded or killed.

The Kurdistan Region’s mountainous areas frequently witness direct clashes between PKK and Turkey, which have been locked in a deadly conflict for decades.

Civilians’ safety as well as their livelihoods are at risk due to the constant military confrontations, and the Kurdistan Region’s authorities have called on both sides to take their fight away from its territory.