Screen grab from the Turkish MoD video.
On April 24, the Turkish military launched a ground and air operation against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.
In the first hours of the new operation, commando forces landed in the Metina region from helicopters while warplanes targeted PKK positions.
“Heroic commandos of the heroic Turkish Armed Forces are in northern Iraq,” the Turkish Ministry of National Defense said on Twitter.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who dubbed the operation “Claw-Lightning,” spoke to the operation’s command center by video link. Erdogan said the operation is meant “to completely end the presence of the terror threat” on the southern border of Turkey.
“There’s no room for the separatist terror group in the future of Turkey, Iraq or Syria,” he said in reference to the PKK. “We will keep on fighting until we eradicate these gangs of murderers, who cause nothing but tears and destruction.”
The Turkish military shared footage showing airstrikes on PKK positions, landing operations and improvised explosive devices left behind by Kurdish guerrilla fighters.
Terör örgütü PKK ve diğer terörist unsurlara karşı Irak kuzeyinde icra edilen Pençe-Şimşek ve Pençe-Yıldırım operasyonlarından ilk görüntüler… #MSB #TSK pic.twitter.com/ccfkzo65SQ
— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) April 24, 2021
Irak kuzeyinde icra edilen Pençe-Şimşek ve Pençe-Yıldırım operasyonları planlandığı gibi devam ediyor. Gece boyunca aralıksız devam eden operasyonlarda Kahraman Komandolarımız teröristlerin inlerine girerken, Hava Kuvvetlerimiz de terör hedeflerini yerle bir etti.#MSB #TSK pic.twitter.com/IL4NCp10UP
— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) April 25, 2021
Irak kuzeyindeki Metina ve Avaşin-Basyan bölgelerinde icra edilen Pençe-Şimşek ve Pençe-Yıldırım operasyonları planlandığı gibi devam ediyor. Her iki operasyon bölgesinde terör örgütü PKK’ya ait tuzaklanmış EYP’ler ile silah ve mühimmat ele geçirildi.https://t.co/Tp8CwaPeuu pic.twitter.com/lUnxA57e1m
— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) April 25, 2021
In February, Turkey carried out Operation Claw-Eagle 2 in Kurdistan’s Gara Mountains. 48 PKK fighters were neutralized. The Turkish military lost three soldiers. 13 Turkish captives were also killed.
The effectiveness of Turkish operations in the Kurdistan Region is often exaggerated. Despite all recent operations, the PKK is still active in several parts of the region.
