The Turkish Ministry of Defense announced the killing of nine PKK militants in air strikes carried out by Turkish warplanes in northern Iraq. The Turkish Defense Ministry stated in a statement today, Friday, that the Turkish army units stationed in the Claw Lock operations area in northern Iraq were exposed to fire from militants affiliated with the PKK, which required the use of warplanes, which resulted in the killing of nine of them and the withdrawal of the others. It indicated in its statement that the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) takes the Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq as its stronghold, and is active in many cities, regions and valleys, from which it launches attacks into the Turkish interior, and that the Turkish army is working hard to dry up the sources of terrorism. It is noteworthy that the Turkish army had carried out a large military operation on April 18, 2021, and it is still continuing, called Claw Lock, against the strongholds of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (,PKK) in the areas of Matina, Gara, Hakurk, Al-Zab, Afshin, and Bazian in northern Iraq. Source: National Iraqi News Agency