The Turkish Ministry of Defense announced the killing of 16 PKK militants in air strikes carried out by Turkish warplanes in northern Iraq.The Turkish Defense Ministry stated in two separate statements today, Saturday, that the Turkish army units stationed in the Hakurk region and charged with the Claw Lock operations in northern Iraq came under fire from militants affiliated with the Workers' Party, and the situation required the use of warplanes. Their raids resulted in the killing of 12 of them and the withdrawal of the others.The Turkish Defense Ministry indicated in its other statement that a number of Labor Party militants tried to approach one of the Turkish army units in the 'Assus' region in northern Iraq, and after determining their location, Turkish fighters raided the area where they were approaching, killing four of them and forcing the rest of the group to withdraw.It is noteworthy that the Turkish army had carried out a large military operation on April 18, 2021, and it is still continuin g, called the Claw Lock, against the strongholds of the Kurdistan Workers' Party in the areas of Matina, Gara, Hakurk, Al-Zab, Afshin, and Bazian in northern Iraq.Source: National Iraqi News Agency