Turkey: PKK terrorists cornered after northern Iraq operation

The PKK terrorists are cornered and its so-called administrators are in panic following Turkey’s latest anti-terror offensive in northern Iraq, according to the Turkish defence minister.

“It is among the intelligence we got with the operation [Claw-Eagle 2] there is serious panic and deep concern among the so-called administrators of the PKK terror group, and the group’s movement capability has been largely limited,” Hulusi Akar told a flag ceremony of the Commodore of the 2nd Corvette Flotilla in the western Izmir province on Friday.

Akar said the four-day operation in the Gara region was launched after detecting the terror group’s shelters, positions, hideouts, and ammunition depots and that the terrorists were plotting an attack, as well as with an aim to confirm the obtained intelligence.

The operation was carried out by respecting Iraq’s territorial integrity and in coordination with allied countries, Akar noted.

READ MORE: Why did Turkey conduct an operation in Iraq’s Gara region?

'Nowhere to escape'

He said the Turkish army instilled a heavy blow to the terrorists by entering their safe haven in the region.

“The so-called administrators of the terror group understood very well that the PKK terror group is left with nowhere to escape. Their caves in these places collapsed on their heads,” he said.

Stressing that the terrorists will not be able to feel safe anywhere from now on, Akar added that the operation was carried out with due care to avoid harming civilians and properties.

Ammunition stores and PKK bases in the mountainous region were destroyed in the operation, which deployed air strikes and helicopter-borne soldiers. The PKK uses bases in northern Iraq to launch cross-border attacks against Turkey.

"We will expand our operations into areas where threats are still dense," Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told supporters from his AK Party in the Black Sea province of Trabzon.

"We will stay in the areas we secure as long as necessary to prevent similar attacks again."

READ MORE: There is only one way to stop YPG terror attacks

Turkish forces launched the operation on February 10 to prevent the PKK and other terror groups from reestablishing positions used to carry out cross-border terror attacks on Turkey.

Operations Claw-Tiger and Claw-Eagle were initiated last June to ensure the safety of Turkey's people and borders.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US, and the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.

READ MORE: Why Iran is shielding the PKK in Iraq