Turkey strikes northern Iraq in air raids, claims 16 PKK members killed - I24NEWS

Turkey launched air strikes in northern Iraq on Monday, targeting areas believed to be harboring members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). 

The Turkish defense ministry reported that the strikes resulted in the deaths of 16 PKK militants.

The air strikes targeted regions including Hakurk, Metina, and Gara in northern Iraq, according to the Turkish defense ministry. The ministry asserted that the PKK militants had been "neutralized" in these operations.

The PKK, which has been engaged in an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984, is labeled as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union.

These strikes come following discussions held last month between Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and officials in Baghdad and Erbil, the capital of Iraq's Kurdistan autonomous region. The talks focused on addressing the persistent presence of PKK fighters in northern Iraq.

The Turkish government has long been committed to combating the PKK insurgency, which it views as a threat to its national security.