ANKARA: Turkiye said on Saturday its forces had ‘neutralised’ 45 Kurdish militants in northern Syria and Iraq following a clash on Friday with members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in which nine Turkish soldiers were killed in northern Iraq.

       “Operations following the treacherous attack neutralised a total of 45 terrorists, 36 in northern Iraq and 9 in northern Syria,” Turkiye’s Communications Directorate said in a statement after President Tayyip Erdogan chaired a security meeting.

       Ankara typically uses the term “neutralised” to mean killed.

       “Turkiye will never allow the establishment of a ‘terrorland’ on its southern borders under any pretext and for any reason,” the statement in Turkish added.

       Earlier on Saturday, the Defence Ministry said the military had carried out airstrikes in the Hakurk, Metina, Gara and Qandil regions of northern Iraq, destroying 29 PKK targets included caves, bunkers, shelters and oil facilities.

       Turkish forces have been carrying out a cross-border operation called “Claw-Lock” in Iraq as part of the country’s offensive against PKK militants.

       Turkiye has also launched military incursions in Syria against the Kurdish YPG militia, regarding it as a wing of the PKK.

       The PKK, designated a terrorist group by Turkiye, the United States and the European Union, took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984.

       Published in Dawn, January 14th, 2024