A new military operation has been launched today, Wednesday, by Turkey against PKK bases in northern Iraq. This operation is the third of its kind, as two other operations were launched in late January.
“The new operation, Eagle Claw 2, was launched last night in the Iraqi region of Qarah,” this is what the Turkish Ministry of Defense stated. “The elements of PKK, which Ankara considers a terrorist organization, are suffering tangible losses,” the statement added.
The ministry indicated that the operation is based on Turkey’s internationally recognized right to self-defense, with the aim of “responding to terrorist attacks and ensuring the security of the country’s borders.”
Turkey has conducted a number of military operations against the PKK Party in northern Iraq, despite the protests of the Baghdad government.
On January 26, Turkey launched two military operations with the participation of more than 4,000 soldiers, against the PKK, in the Sinjar region, northern Iraq.
The official Turkish Anadolu Agency reported at the time that the Ministry of the Interior announced the launch of the Aren 4 operations, with the participation of 1620 security personnel, and Aren 5 with the participation of 2550 against the PKK organization, without providing further details.
The two practical precedents came days after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan threatened that his country might intervene in order to expel what he described as “PKK terrorists” from Sinjar district in northern Iraq.
“I have a phrase that I always say: We may come by surprise one night,” he said at the time.
