Extensive Turkish Airstrikes on PKK Positions in Iraqi Kurdistan

On Monday, the Turkish Ministry of Defense announced that 21 PKK positions were destroyed as a result of Turkish airstrikes, and 'many' PKK members were killed. The ministry also stated that a Turkish soldier was killed by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the Iraqi Kurdistan region. The statement indicated that the soldier was killed in the 'Gara' area of Iraqi Kurdistan, and PKK positions in Gara, Khakurk, Metina, and Qandil were targeted in the airstrikes. The Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT) had recently reported the killing of the 'PKK operations chief in Iran.' According to Turkish state media, Saleha Aqbiq, known by the alias 'Nozhiyan Amad,' was targeted in a drone strike on Saturday, September 8, in the 'Panjwin' area of Iraqi Kurdistan, near the Iranian border. Over the years, Turkey has conducted numerous drone strikes in Iraqi Kurdistan under the pretext of fighting the PKK, resulting in the deaths of many Iraqi Kurdish citizens. The PKK was established in 1978 by a group of predominantly Kurdish students and began its armed activities in 1984, claiming to fight for the rights of Kurds in Turkey. In the violent conflicts between the Turkish army and the PKK over the past four decades, more than 40,000 Turkish citizens have been killed, and hundreds of thousands have been forced to relocate from predominantly Kurdish regions in eastern and southeastern Turkey to other parts of the country and abroad. The PKK is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Turkey, and the European Union. Turkey claims to have killed 17 Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq and Syria and 32 PKK members in northern Iraq, continuing its attacks on Kurdish militants in Iraq and Syria. Turkey has once again targeted the water and electricity infrastructure in Kurdish areas of Syria, claiming to have 'neutralized' 29 militants in Syria and northern Iraq.