On March 16, the Turkish Army General Staff announced in an official statement that the Turkish Air Force (TAF) had conducted several airstrikes on positions of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in the areas of Hakurk and Kani Rash in the northern part of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.
The Turkish Army said in its statement that ten PKK fighters had been neutralized in the TAF airstrikes. According to the Turkish Anadolu Agency, the Turkish Army usually use the term “neutralized” to imply that the fighters in question either surrendered or were killed or captured.
Anadolu Agency also revealed that the Turkish Army Special Forces had conducted a ground operation inside the areas of Hakurk and Kani Rash coordinated with the TAF airstrikes. During the ground operation, the Turkish Army captured 14.5mm gun, a Konkurs anti-tank guided missile (ATGM), rocket-propelled grenades, a grenade launcher and several other light weapons.
Since mid-2017, the Turkish Army has stepped up its operations against the PKK inside the Iraqi territory, as a result of the recent improvement in the Turkish-Iraqi relations. The Kurdistan Region independence referendum played a key role in this improvement, according to experts.
Weapons captured by the Turkish Army Special Forces during the operation:
By the Turkish Army, click to see the full-size image
By the Turkish Army, click to see the full-size image
By the Turkish Army, click to see the full-size image
By the Turkish Army, click to see the full-size image
