Operation Claw-Lock

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Operation Claw-Lock
Part of the Kurdish–Turkish conflict (1978-present)
Date17 April 2022 – present
(2 years, 1 month and 5 days)
Location
Metina, Zap and Avashin Basyan regions, Duhok, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
Belligerents
 Turkey
Supported by:
KDP (PKK claim)[1]		 Kurdistan Workers' Party
Commanders and leaders

Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Turkey Hasan Küçükakyüz
Turkey Hulusi Akar

Turkey Yaşar Güler

Cemîl Bayik

Murat Karayılan
Units involved

Turkey Turkish Armed Forces

KCK

Strength

Turkey Unknown personnel[3]

Unknown
Casualties and losses

4 wounded (per Turkey)

28 killed, 2 injured, 2 helicopters damaged

(per PKK)[5]		 26 killed (per Turkey)

Claw-Lock (Turkish: Pençe-Kilit Operasyonu) is an ongoing Turkish Armed Forces military operation in northern Iraq. The operation is taking place in the Zap region against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) targets, as part of the ongoing Kurdish–Turkish conflict.[6]

Background

The Turkish army frequently conducted cross-border military operations against the PKK in the last years.[7] According to the Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, in the most recent one the Metina and Avashin areas are targeted.[8][7][9]

Turkish authorities said a plan to carry out a "large-scale attack" by the PKK had been uncovered and was the reason for the offensive.[10][11] According to Ömer Çelik of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) it was found that the PKK was to establish new bases close to the border of Turkey and defended the Turkish cross-border attacks into neighboring countries like Iraq or Syria as self defense was enshrined in Art.51 of the Charter of the United Nations.[12]

Operation

The operation began on 17 April 2022, with air and artillery bombardment of PKK positions. In the early hours of 18 April, Turkish Special Forces and commandos were landed behind enemy lines by UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. The Turkish Defense Ministry claimed that all their objectives were successfully captured, while the PKK claimed to have repulsed the Turkish landing operation.[2][13]

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that during the operation 19 PKK fighters had been killed, while 4 Turkish soldiers injured.[14] The HPG Press Center in a written statement claimed that "28 invaders were punished, nine invaders were injured and two attack helicopters were hit".[15]

Reactions

Demonstrations were held in support of the PKK in Marseilles, France.[16]

See Also

References

  1. ^ "Avaşin ve Zap'a işgal saldırısı: 28 işgalci cezalandırıldı, 2 helikopter darbelendi!". ANF Turkish. 18 April 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Son dakika: PKK'ya 'Pençe-Kilit' operasyonu başladı! Bakan Akar: Hedeflerin tamamı ele geçirildi". Hürriyet. 18 April 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  3. ^ "TSK'dan Irak'ın Kuzeyine Operasyon". Voice of America Turkish. 18 April 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  4. ^ "Zap'a havadan ve karadan yoğun saldırı-YENİLENDİ". ANF Turkish. 18 April 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  5. ^ "Turkish attack on Avaşin and Zap: 28 soldiers killed, 2 helicopters damaged by guerrillas". Anf News. 18 April 2022.
  6. ^ "Turkey launches new ground, air offensive in northern Iraq". The Washington Post. Associated Press. 18 April 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Turkish warplanes hit Kurdish militant targets in northern Iraq- state news agency". Swissinfo. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  8. ^ "Turkey says its warplanes hit Kurdish militant targets in northern Iraq". Arab News. 2022-04-18. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  9. ^ Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "Turkey launches new offensive against Kurdish militants in Iraq | DW | 18.04.2022". DW.COM. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  10. ^ "Turkey launches new offensive against Kurdish rebels in Iraq". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  11. ^ "Turkey says its warplanes hit Kurdish militant targets in northern Iraq". Reuters. 2022-04-17. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  12. ^ Ertan, Nazlan (18 April 2022). "Turkey launches offensive against PKK targets in northern Iraq - Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East". Al Monitor. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
  13. ^ "Şikefta Birîndara'da 8 işgalci cezalandırıldı!". ANF Turkish. 18 April 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  14. ^ "Turkey launches new ground, air offensive in northern Iraq". AP NEWS. 2022-04-18. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  15. ^ "Turkish attack on Avaşin and Zap: 28 soldiers killed, 2 helicopters damaged by guerrillas". ANF News. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  16. ^ "Türkiye'nin Pençe Kilit Operasyonu rahatsız etti! Avrupa'da skandal görüntüler". Star. 18 April 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.


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