The Turkish Ministry of Defense said on the 25th that the Turkish army launched airstrikes on Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant targets in Syria and northern Iraq, killing at least 26 armed men. Turkey's retaliatory actions have killed at least 56 militants in recent attacks on Iraq.
According to the Turkish Ministry of Defense, Kurdistan Workers' Party fighters attacked the Turkish army twice in northern Iraq on the 22nd and 23rd, killing a total of 12 Turkish soldiers. The Turkish army then launched a series of retaliatory actions.
The Turkish Ministry of Defense said on the 25th that preliminary results showed that at least 26 PKK fighters were killed in the air strikes *** Turkish Defense Minister Yashar Güler said on the 24th that 30 PKK fighters died in a cross-border operation launched by Turkey against targets in northern Iraq.
Reuters reported on the 25th, citing sources in the Turkish security department, that Turkey** detained 52 people at an event organized by the pro-Kurdish left-wing party Turkish People's Democratic Party in Diyarbakir province in the southeast.
Turkey's justice minister, Yelmaz Tunchi, said on social media that the men were accused of "glorifying crimes and criminals" and "promoting terrorism." The People's Democratic Party of Turkey condemned this move for "political interests" and called for "immediate release".
The PKK was founded in 1979 and is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union. The PKK seeks to establish an independent state by force in Kurdish-populated areas on Turkey's borders with Iraq, Iran and Syria. (END) (Liu Jiang).