Turkey hits at Kurdish group in northern Iraq

ANKARA－Turkey said on Monday that it has launched a new ground and air cross-border operation against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, in northern Iraq.

Turkish air forces first hit the PKK's shelters, bunkers, caves, tunnels, ammunition depots and headquarters in the Metina, Zap and Avasin-Basyan regions in northern Iraq, said Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar in a video statement.

Akar said the jets successfully struck these areas belonging to the PKK. The group maintains bases in northern Iraq and has used the territory for attacks on Turkey.

While artillery units struck the targets, commando troops and special forces supported by helicopters and drones entered the regions by infiltration from land.

"Our operation continues successfully as planned. The targets set in the first phase were achieved," he said.

In a separate statement, the Turkish Defense Ministry said the operation, called "Claw-Lock", was launched after security forces determined that the PKK was planning to initiate a large-scale attack.

The operation is in line with Turkey's self-defense rights arising from Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, the ministry said.

Turkey regularly conducts cross-border operations on PKK bases in northern Iraq. But Iraq has condemned previous airstrikes by Turkish aircraft in its northern region, stressing its rejection of the violation of sovereignty. The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, has been rebelling against the Turkish government for over 30 years.

The offensive was carried out in coordination with Turkey's "friends and allies", the ministry added, but did not elaborate. Last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Masrour Barzani, prime minister of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region which controls the areas that were attacked.

The Turkish minister said that "maximum sensitivity" was being shown to avoid damage to civilians. There was no immediate statement from the Kurdish militant group.

Agencies - Xinhua