The Turkish Ministry of Defense announced the killing of 16 militants of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in airstrikes carried out by Turkish warplanes in northern Iraq. The Turkish Defense Ministry stated in a statement today, Saturday, that the Turkish army units stationed in the areas of /Hakurk, Asos, Kara and Metina/ within the areas of /Claw Lock / operations in northern Iraq detected gatherings of PKK militants in those rugged mountainous areas, which required the use of warplanes, whose raids on those gatherings resulted in the killing of 16 of them and the withdrawal of the others. It indicated in its statement that the Kurdistan Workers' Party "PKK" takes the Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq as a stronghold, and is active in many cities, regions and valleys, and launches attacks from them on inside Turkey, and that the Turkish army is working hard to dry up the sources of terrorism. It is noteworthy that the Turkish army had carried out a large-scale military operation on April 18, 20 21, which is still ongoing, called Claw Lock, against the strongholds of the Kurdistan Workers' Party in the regions of Metina, Gara, Hakurk, Zap, Afshin and Bazian in northern Iraq. Source: National Iraqi News Agency