ANKARA 

Five Turkish soldiers were killed by PKK terrorists in northern Iraq, near the Turkish border, Turkiye's National Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

Three of them were killed when clashes erupted between Turkish troops and the terrorists in the region where Turkiye launched its latest anti-terror operation, Claw-Lock.

Four other members of the Turkish forces were also injured in the attack, and they were taken to a hospital, where two succumbed to their wounds.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the US, and European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.

Turkiye has launched successive operations against the PKK in northern Iraq since 2020, most recently Operation Claw-Lock in April to target PKK hideouts in Iraq's Metina region.

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 Turkiye.