Turkish soldier killed in clashes in northern Iraq, Defense Ministry says

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – A Turkish soldier was killed in clashes with fighters from the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in northern Iraq on Monday, and Turkish air strikes killed scores of fighters, the Defense Ministry said.

The air strikes also destroyed 21 PKK targets, the ministry said in a statement, without providing further details.

In Ankara, the term “neutralized” is used to mean killed.

The soldier was killed in a clash in the Gara region, and Turkish air forces also attacked PKK bases in Gara, Hakurk, Metina and Qandil, the ministry said.

The PKK, which is classified as a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the uprising so far.

Turkey has been conducting cross-border military operations against insurgents for years, as a result of which about half of the Syrian territory bordering Turkey and all of the Iraqi territory bordering Turkey are under the control or supervision of the Turkish military.

(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu and Huseyin Hayatsever; Writing by Burcu Karakas; Editing by Jonathan Spicer and Angus MacSwan)