2 Turkish soldiers martyred in northern Iraq

By Sarp Ozer

ANKARA (AA) - Two Turkish soldiers were martyred and three others injured in an operation in northern Iraq, military said on Monday.

According to the statement issued by the Turkish General Staff, the incident happened in Zap region of northern Iraq when the PKK terrorists detonated handmade explosives.

Following the incident, Turkish forces launched air raids in the region and killed eight terrorists, it said.

Airstrikes on PKK targets in southeast Turkey and northern Iraq, where the terror group has its main base in the Qandil region near the Iranian border, have been carried out regularly since July 2015, when the PKK resumed its armed campaign.

The PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of more than 1,200 Turkish security personnel and civilians, including a number of women and children.