3 Turkish soldiers killed in northern Iraq terror attack

ISTANBUL

A terror attack in northern Iraq killed three Turkish soldiers, Turkey’s National Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

In a statement, the ministry said the soldiers were killed in the Operation Pence-Yildirim zone.

Turkish security forces also “neutralized” six terrorists in an air-backed operation, the ministry said, adding “the operation continues in the region.”

Turkish authorities use "neutralized" to imply terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.

The ministry extended condolences to the Turkish nation over the killing of the soldiers.

The Pence operations are a series of offensives Turkey has carried out since 2019 against terrorist organizations in northern Iraq, particularly the PKK.

Operations Pence-Kaplan and Pence-Kartal were initiated in June last year, while Pence-Simsek and Pence-Yildirim were launched this April in Iraq’s Metina and Avasin-Basyan regions.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.