3 PKK fighters dead in Duhok
Shafaq News/ Three members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) were found dead in northern Duhok on Friday following clashes with Turkish forces.
According to Shafaq News correspondent, the bodies were discovered in the village of Koherzi, on the slopes of Mount Matin, where intense fighting erupted late Thursday amid heavy shelling and direct confrontations between the two sides.
Meanwhile, the Turkish Defense Ministry announced that eleven militants had been “neutralized” in the Operation Claw-Lock region of northern Iraq. The term “neutralize” is used by Turkish authorities to indicate that individuals have been killed, captured, or surrendered.
Şehitlerimizin kanını yerde bırakmadık, bırakmayacağız!Irak’ın kuzeyindeki Pençe-Kilit Operasyonu bölgesinde 9 PKK’lı terörist etkisiz hâle getirildi. Terörü kaynağında yok etmeye azimliyiz, kararlıyız!#MillîSavunmaBakanlığı pic.twitter.com/mbTy6NStHY
— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) February 21, 2025
Launched in April 2021, Operation Claw-Lock targets PKK strongholds in Iraqi Kurdistan, particularly in Gara, Hakurk, and Metina.
The Defense Ministry also reported that 31 militants were killed over the past week in military operations across northern Iraq and Syria, bringing the total number of PKK fighters killed in 2025 to 408.
The PKK is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union.
