The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) have reported six fatalities due to recent conflicts in the Hakurk (Xakûrkê) area of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), while other sources are claiming significantly higher numbers. Discrepancies in casualty reports and a subsequent conflict in Metina (Metîna), where nine more soldiers reportedly died, have fuelled scepticism and confusion.
Contrasting this, the Fırat News Agency (ANF), citing local sources, reported that 27 soldiers died in the Hakurk clash, a figure later echoed by a statement from the HPG Press Contact Centre on Saturday. The incident occurred as TAF operations intensified along the Iraqi border. The clash involved units from the Hakkari Mountain Commando Brigade and members of the People’s Defence Forces (HPG) in the Hakurk area, near the Şemdinli (Şemzînan) district border.
The Turkish Defence Ministry later confirmed that three soldiers were killed and four wounded in an attack on their base. In a follow-up announcement, the Ministry revealed that three of the injured soldiers later died.
Paramilitary social media accounts began sharing provocative posts, complete with visuals, revealing that some of the fallen Turkish soldiers held extreme right-wing views associated with the Grey Wolves.
The soldiers who lost their lives were identified as Ramazan Günay, Mehmet Serinkan, İsmail Yazıcı, Yasin Karaca, Çağatay Erenoğlu, and Emre Taşın.