Three Turkish soldiers killed in northern Iraq, Syria anti-terror operations

Three Turkish soldiers were killed during Turkiye’s anti-terror operations in northern Iraq and Syria, authorities said Friday.

Furkan Gok, an infantry specialist sergeant, was killed in clashes with terrorists during Turkiye’s recently launched cross-border Operation Claw-Lock, Turkiye’s National Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry extended condolences to Gok’s family and wished them strength and patience to bear the loss.

Later, the National Defense Ministry said Infantry Lieut. Bekir Can Kerek was killed in the clash with terrorists in the Operation Claw-Lock region.

Turkiye’s General Directorate of Security said Special Operations Police Aytac Altunors was killed in a rocket attack carried out by terrorists in the area of Operation Euphrates Shield.

Turkiye launched Operation Claw-Lock earlier this week to target PKK hideouts in Iraq’s Metina, Zap and Avasin-Basyan areas.

This was preceded by Operations Claw-Tiger and Claw-Eagle, which were launched in 2020 to root out terrorists who hide in northern Iraq and plot cross-border attacks in Turkiye.

In September 2016, the Turkish army liberated Jarabulus from ISIS/Daesh terrorists as part of Operation Euphrates Shield. The aim of that operation, which ended in March 2017, was to eradicate terrorists from Syria's border territories with Turkiye.

While the operation was successful, the terrorist YPG/PKK, operating from Syria’s adjacent Tal Rifaat and Manbij regions, still often tries to carry out attacks in Jarablus, Azaz, Afrin and al-Bab.

Euphrates Shield (2016) is one of the three successful anti-terror operations that Turkiye has launched since 2016 across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents. The other two are Olive Branch (2018) and Peace Spring (2019).

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkiye, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the US, and European Union -- has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.

The YPG is the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz.