Turkey's defense ministry confirmed on Saturday that it had conducted a series of airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, in response to a deadly attack on a Turkish military base in Iraq.
This development comes on the heels of separate airstrikes launched by the U.S and other nations in Yemen on Friday and Saturday.
The Turkish Defense Ministry revealed that the airstrikes targeted Kurdish militant strongholds in Metina, Hakurk, Gara, and Qandil in northern Iraq. These strikes were a direct response to an assault on a Turkish military base in Iraq, which resulted in the death of nine Turkish soldiers.
In a statement, the defense ministry detailed that the fighter jets had successfully destroyed caves, bunkers, shelters, and oil facilities. The objective of these strikes was "to eliminate terrorist attacks against our people and security forces ... and to ensure our border security." The statement also noted that "many" militants were "neutralized," but did not provide specific details about any attacks in Syria.
The targets of these airstrikes were associated with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a proscribed Kurdish separatist group that operates bases in northern Iraq, according to the ministry. The PKK is recognized as a terrorist organization by the United States and other Turkish allies in Europe.
Local news outlets reported that the airstrikes were conducted in a different area from where the Turkish base was attacked on Friday. The Iraqi news website Rudaw, based in Erbil, reported that the base attacked on Friday was situated on Mount Zap in the Amedi district, approximately 10 miles from the Turkish border.
Anadolu, Turkeys state-run news agency, reported that a senior PKK militant was "neutralized" in Iraq, about 100 miles inside the Turkey-Iraq border.
The Turkish Defense Ministry disclosed that the attack on the military base in northern Iraqs semi-autonomous Kurdish region on Friday night resulted in the death of five soldiers. Four more soldiers succumbed to their critical injuries later. The ministry also reported that fifteen militants were killed during the assault.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan expressed his condolences for the fallen Turkish soldiers on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. "We will fight to the end against the PKK terrorist organization within and outside our borders," he wrote. Turkey frequently launches strikes against targets it believes are affiliated with the PKK.
Earlier, Turkish officials reported that PKK-affiliated militants attempted to breach a Turkish base in northern Iraq three weeks ago. This attack resulted in the death of six Turkish soldiers. The following day, six more Turkish soldiers were killed in clashes. In response, the Turkish military launched airstrikes and land assaults, resulting in the death of dozens of Kurdish militants, according to Defense Minister Yasar Guler.
Tensions in the Middle East have been on the rise since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in October.
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