Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Turkish warplanes strike Kurdish militant positions in Iraq after attack kills soldier, wounds 4

 Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, right, shakes hands with visiting Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister Hakan Fidan in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, March 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban, File) Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, right, shakes hands with visiting Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister Hakan Fidan in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, March 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban, File)
Share
ANKARA, Turkey -

Turkiye carried out a new round of airstrikes targeting Kurdish militants in neighboring Iraq on Tuesday, Turkiye’s defense ministry said, hours after a Turkish soldier was killed and four others were wounded in an attack in the region.

Turkiye often launches strikes against targets in Syria and Iraq it believes to be affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, a banned Kurdish separatist group that has waged an insurgency against Turkey since the 1980s.

On Tuesday, the Turkish warplanes struck suspected PKK positions in the Metina, Zap, Hakurk, Gara and Qandil regions in northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, according to a ministry statement. The jets reportedly destroyed 27 PKK targets, including caves, bunkers, and shelters. There was no immediate comment from the PKK.

“We have not left the blood of any of our martyrs on the ground,†the ministry said, suggesting that the airstrikes were in retaliation to the attack that killed the Turkish soldier and wounded four others.

Last week, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held high-level meetings with his counterpart Fuad Hussein and other Iraqi officials to discuss the PKK’s presence in Iraq and measures to be taken against the organization.

A joint statement issued by the two countries said both sides had “stressed that the PKK organization represents a security threat to both Turkey and Iraq†and that its presence in Iraq “represents a violation of the Iraqi constitution.â€

The PKK is not designated a terrorist organization in Iraq, but is banned from launching operations against Turkey from Iraqi territory. It nevertheless has a foothold in northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, where the central Iraqi government does not have much influence.

The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is expected to visit Iraq next month, has said that his country is determined to end PKK’s presence in Iraq this summer, suggesting a possible large-scale military offensive into the region.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Mounties have released startling new details about their investigation into the disappearance of Amber Manthorne, who was reported missing on Vancouver Island more than two years ago, and is believed to have met with foul play.

JD Vance says 'no,' Trump did not lose the 2020 U.S. election

U.S. vice-presidential candidate JD Vance said "no," former U.S. president Donald Trump did not lose the 2020 election "by the words" the Ohio Republican would use, when asked Wednesday what message it sends to independent voters that he has not directly answered that question.

A B.C. judge has issued a decision in a years-long dispute between neighbours that began with a noise complaint over barking dogs, crowing roosters and quacking ducks – awarding $15,000 in damages to the plaintiffs in the case.

A Manitoba professor is warning the public after a book on regional mushrooms that he suspects is AI-generated was delisted from Amazon.

Local Spotlight

An Ottawa man was arrested after taking a shower in a stranger's house, Ottawa police say.

Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) Chef Paul Natrall, the man behind Indigenous food truck Mr. Bannock, is bringing cooking classes on First Nations fare to schools and offices throughout Metro Vancouver.

The Celtic Colours Festival is taking place at venues around Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia from Oct. 11 to 19.

Sometimes love is written in the stars, but for one couple, it’s written in the aurora borealis.

Canadian hip hop artist Dillan King says running 100 marathons in 100 days was not only the hardest thing he has ever done, but the 'proudest accomplishment' of his entire life.

James Taylor never expected to be walking home with a bag full of groceries he didn't buy.

This weekend marks the fifth anniversary of a large blizzard that paralyzed Manitoba.

There was an eye-catching mix of rainbows and lightning over Vancouver following a brief downpour this week.

Jeff Warner from Aidie Creek Gardens in the northern Ontario community of Englehart has a passion for growing big pumpkins and his effort is paying off in more ways than one.