Five Turkish soldiers killed in Duhok: Turkish Defense Ministry
Moreover, eight soldiers were injured, three of them heavily injured.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - The Turkish Defense Ministry on Friday confirmed that five Turkish soldiers were killed on Saturday as part of its ongoing conflict with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Moreover, eight soldiers were injured, three of them heavily injured.
The ministry also claimed 12 PKK fighters were killed in the clash.
It added that the PKK fighters attempted to infiltrate a Turkish base in “the Claw-Lock Operation region.”
The area refers to the Metina, Zap and Avasin-Basyan regions in Duhok Province, where the Turkish army launched the operation in 2022 and has set up several military bases.
The armed wing of the PKK on Friday, refuted the report of five deaths on the Turkish side, claiming that they killed at least fourteen Turkish soldiers in recent attacks.
Both sides have been known to inflate and deflate casualty figures for publicity reasons.
Also on Thursday, Turkish Sergeant Private Samet Aslan was killed in a fight with PKK insurgents, the Turkish Defense Ministry said on Thursday.
Read More: Eight civilians killed in Turkish strikes on Syria: monitor, media
Also on Friday, a Turkish drone injured 2 PKK fighters in Duhok’s Amedi District.
Later on December, in late December, 12 Turkish soldiers were killed, after which Turkey stepped up drone and airstrikes in northeast Syria and the Kurdistan Region.
Turkey has launched several large-scale ground operations against the PKK in the Kurdistan Region’s mountainous areas since 2021.
Tens of thousands have been killed from both sides in an armed conflict since the mid-1980s, including civilians.
The PKK is listed as a terrorist group by the United States, Turkey, and the EU, among other countries. So far, efforts by sympathizers to the group to delist it have failed.
Read More: Turkish drone strikes two vehicles in Duhok
