Turkish army ‘neutralizes’ 49 PKK terrorists in N Iraq

By Ali Kemal Akan

ANKARA (AA) - A total of 49 PKK terrorists have been “neutralized” in two air raids on Jan. 29 in northern Iraq, the Turkish military said on Thursday.

According to a statement by the Turkish General Staff, two air operations were conducted against terrorist organization PKK in northern Iraq’s Asos/Qandil, Zap, Avasin-Basyan and Hakurk regions.

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

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey as well as the U.S. and EU. In its terror campaign against Turkey, which has lasted for more than three decades, over 40,000 people have been killed, including women and children.

The airstrikes take place amid the Turkish-led Operation Olive Branch across the Turkish border into northwestern Syria, targeting the threat of the Syrian branch of the PKK, the terrorist PYD/PKK.