Istanbul, The Turkish Ministry of Defense announced the killing of 19 PKK militants in air strikes carried out by Turkish warplanes in northern Iraq and Syria. The Turkish Defense Ministry stated in a statement today, Tuesday, that units of the Turkish army stationed in the areas of Hakurk, Matina, and Gara, and in charge of the 'Claw Lock' operations in northern Iraq, were exposed to fire from militants affiliated with the PKK, and the situation required the use of warplanes. Their raids resulted in the killing of 15 of them and the withdrawal of the others. The Turkish Defense Ministry indicated in its statement that its fighter jets carried out air strikes on sites of Kurdish People's Protection Units militants in northern Syria, which resulted in the killing of four Kurdish organization militants and the destruction of a number of their headquarters and positions in northern Syria. It is noteworthy that the Turkish army had carried out a large military operation on April 18, 2021, and it is still conti nuing, called 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