ANKARA

Turkish security forces “neutralized” 16 PKK terrorists as part of Turkiye’s Operation Claw-Lock in northern Iraq, the country’s National Defense Ministry said Friday.

The ministry said the Turkish armed forces targeted the terror zones in the region.

Turkiye launched Operation Claw-Lock last month to target PKK hideouts in northern Iraq’s Metina, Zap, and Avasin-Basyan regions. It preceded Operations Claw-Tiger and Claw-Eagle, which were launched in 2020, to root out terrorists who hide in northern Iraq and plot cross-border attacks in Turkiye.

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