A Turkish soldier succumbed to his wounds after an improvised explosive device (IED) planted by PKK terrorists in northern Iraq exploded, Türkiye's National Defence Ministry has announced.
"On August 26, 2023, in the Operation Claw-Lock region, our heroic brother-in-arms, Specialised Sergeant Taner Torun, was critically injured as a result of an explosion of an IED, which was previously placed by the separatist terrorist organisation," the ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
Torun was immediately transferred to a hospital but later succumbed to his wounds.
The ministry voiced "deep pain and sadness," over Torun's death, expressing condolences to his loved ones, the armed forces, and the nation.
Operation Claw-Lock
In its nearly 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK — listed as a terrorist organisation by Türkiye, the US, UK, and EU — has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.
Türkiye launched Operation Claw-Lock in April 2022 to target the PKK terror group’s hideouts in the Metina, Zap and Avasin-Basyan regions of northern Iraq, located near the Turkish border.
It was preceded by two operations, Claw-Tiger and Claw-Eagle, launched in 2020 to root out terrorists hiding in northern Iraq and plotting cross-border attacks in Türkiye.?
Source: TRTworld.com