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Turkish jets have destroyed over 30 terror targets in northern Iraq in an overnight operation, the Defense Ministry said in a statement on Friday.
The army used over 20 warplanes as well as drones and refueling aircrafts during the operation in which the Mount Karajak area was hit for the first time, it said.
It further stated that the terror targets in northern Iraq were determined in coordination with the intelligence units, adding the utmost care for the safety of civilians and environment was taken.
Earlier on Thursday, the Turkish Defense Ministry said in a statement that the air operation was conducted to “neutralize” PKK/KCK/PYD/YPG and other terrorist elements.
In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women and children. The YPG is its Syrian branch.
The murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is not a matter that should be disregarded, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Friday at a conference in Istanbul."We understand from voice recordings that those closest to the crown prince assumed an active role in the murder," he added.Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, went missing after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in early October.After initially saying he had left the consulate alive, Saudi Arabia admitted weeks later that he was killed there, blaming his death on a group of rogue Saudi operatives.Syrian Arab and Turkmen tribes hail Turkish operationTurkey will enter Syria's Manbij if U.S. doesn't remove YPG terroristsTurkish forces will enter the Syrian town Manbij if the United States does not remove the YPG terror group from the area, said Erdoğan, after Ankara said this week it would launch a new operation to target the fighters.He said that Turkey was determined to bring peace to the area east of the Euphrates river in Syria.The PYD and its military YPG wing are Syrian branches of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged war against Turkey for more than 30 years.‘Purging Manbij of PKK terrorists will pave the way for Raqqa’s liberation’Turkey’s operations in N. Iraq to continueErdoğan also said his country’s anti-terror operations in northern Iraq will continue.Turkey wasted enough time to intervene with the terror swamp in the east of the Euphrates River, Erdoğan said at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) member/observer states judicial conference in Istanbul.“We will no longer tolerate a single day of delay,” Erdoğan added. “We are determined to bring peace and security to the areas east of the Euphrates.”The president said that Turkey conducted an anti-terror operation in Sinjar and Mount Karajak regions of northern Iraq Thursday night, adding such operations will continue.Erdoğan’s remarks came after the Turkish Armed Forces conducted airstrikes in an overnight operation against the regions which terrorists have been using as their bases.Erdoğan further asserted that Thursday's treacherous attack on Turkish troops in Syria's northwestern Afrin from Tal Rifaat city show the country's right decision against terrorists.A Turkish soldier was martyred in Afrin on Thursday when YPG/PKK terrorists opened a harassment fire on Turkish forces, according to the Defense Ministry. The Turkish military retaliated to the attack immediately.On Wednesday, Erdoğan announced that an operation to clear the area east of the Euphrates River of the YPG/PKK terrorists will start "in a few days".In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women and children. The YPG is its Syrian branch.The terror group has occupied the region east of the Euphrates, which shares a 480-kilometer-long (298 miles) border with Turkey.14,000 strong FSA army ready for Turkey’s Euphrates op
Those closest to Saudi's crown prince had an active role in Khashoggi murder: Erdoğan