Turkish Defense Minister Yashar Guler has arrived at the border with Iraq amidst fierce fighting with members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), according to reports from RIA Novosti.
“The Minister of National Defense, Yashar Guler, who was leading operations from the Air Force Operations Center overnight, headed to the Iraqi border with the first rays of the sun. Minister Yashar Guler is accompanied by the command staff of the Turkish Armed Forces,” the statement said.
Earlier, the Turkish Ministry of Defense announced on social media that a military operation was being conducted in northern Iraq against the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) following the death of twelve Turkish servicemen. Prior to this, it was reported that six Turkish soldiers were killed in the northern part of Iraq as a result of an attack by PKK militants.
The Turkish Defense Ministry reported that during the clash with PKK militants in the area of the “Claw-Castle” operation, six more soldiers were killed and one was injured. The ministry noted that, according to preliminary data, 13 terrorists were neutralized during the clash.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan discussed the situation in the South Caucasus.
