Turkey launches military op against Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq

Turkey’s military launched an operation with commandos, backed by artillery and airstrikes, against Kurdish militants in a mountainous area of northern Iraq, the Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.

The offensive began with artillery and airstrikes on Monday afternoon and the operation by commando brigades began at 8pm (1700 GMT) to “neutralize terrorists and destroy their shelters,” according to the statement.

The operation is targeting Iraq’s Hakurk region, just across the border from Turkey’s southeastern tip, which also borders Iran, Reuters said.

The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group is based in northern Iraq, notably in the Qandil region to the south of Hakurk.