Turkiye neutralizes 11 PKK members in northern Iraq
Shafaq News/ On Friday, Turkish forces “neutralized” several members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in northern Iraq.
Turkish authorities use the term “neutralize” to refer to individuals who have been killed, captured, or surrendered.
On X, the Turkish Defense Ministry stated that nine militants were targeted in the Operation Claw-Lock region. The offensive, launched by Turkiye in April 2021, targets the PKK in Iraqi Kurdistan, particularly in regions such as Gara, Hakurk, and Metina (Matin).
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
Separately, Turkiye’s National Intelligence Organization reported neutralizing two PKK members, identified as Zehra Sebat (Rojda Azad) and Serhat Erdogan (Çerav Cudi), in a targeted operation in the Hakurk area while they were reportedly planning to carry out an attack.
On Thursday, the Defense Ministry announced that 31 PKK members were killed over the past week during military operations in northern Iraq and Syria, bringing the total number of militants killed in 2025 to 408.
Notably, the PKK is designated a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the US, and the EU.
