Thu Jul 21, 2016 16:58:12
Turkey’s military carried out air strikes on Tuesday (July 19) against members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, killing 20 militants, the army said in a statement on Wednesday (July 20), Al-Alam News Network reports.
Turkey frequently launches air attacks against PKK targets in the mountainous regions of northern Iraq near the Turkish border, where the PKK leadership has camps.
A ceasefire between the autonomy-seeking PKK and the state fell apart last year, triggering some of the worst violence in the three decades of the Kurdish insurgency.
Military activity was seen at the airbase in the southeast province of Diyarbakir on Tuesday, however it was not immediately clear if that was related to the airstrikes in Northern Iraq.
Turkey faces multiple security threats, including Islamic State (ISIS / Daesh / ISIL) and the PKK.
On Friday (July 15) a faction of the military attempted a coup, but that later crumbled as Turks responded to a call from President Tayyip Erdogan and took to the streets in defiance of the coup.
S/SH 11
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