The People’s Defense Forces (HPG), the military wing of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), has reported a significant escalation in Turkish forces’ military operations against Kurdish guerrilla positions in Iraqi Kurdistan during the past week.
According to the statement of the HPG, Turkey had previously withdrawn from the Zap and Metina regions in Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) after facing significant resistance from the guerrillas.
However, between 17 and 20 July, the HPG alleged that hundreds of bombings occurred in these areas, conducted both from the air and the ground.
The HPG accused the Kurdistan Region’s ruling party, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), of collaborating with Turkish forces during these operations.
Claiming that Kurdish forces continue to retaliate against the Turkish Armed Forces’ military actions, the HPG said that three Turkish soldiers were killed on 17 July in one of the clashes. However, Turkey has not officially confirmed any casualties on that specific date.
The Turkish Armed Forces have been conducting attacks in the Dohuk province of the Kurdistan Region as part of the ongoing Operation Claw-Lock series, which was initiated in 2019. This series of cross-border military operations has seen Ankara intensify its efforts to target Kurdish forces in the region over the past few years.