Turkey to end 'Claw-Lock' operation in northern Iraq soon, Erdoğan says

Duvar English

Turkey will end its "Claw-Lock" cross-border operation in northern Iraq soon, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on July 14.

"We will close the lock very soon in the Claw Operation Zone in northern Iraq," Erdoğan said at the National Defense University's graduation ceremony.

Turkish forces have carried out cross-border operations against outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants in northern Iraq since 2019.

Operation Claw-Lock, initiated by Turkey on April 18, 2022, aimed to target PKK positions within northern Duhok province along the Turkish border. Recently, Erdoğan has been stating that Ankara is nearing completion of a zone intended to "permanently resolve" security concerns.

Additionally, Erdoğan met with the Iraqi Kurdistan administration and federal government last April as part of ongoing diplomatic efforts related to this operation. As a result, Iraq National Security Council has banned the PKK.

The PKK, designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the insurgency.

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