KRI: Four Turkish soldiers killed in clashes with Kurdish fighters

KRI: Four Turkish soldiers killed in clashes with Kurdish fighters
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Turkish Foreign Ministry has reported four fatalities in recent clashes in Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Four Turkish soldiers were killed on Sunday in clashes with Kurdish fighters affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), Turkish Ministry of Defense said.

The fatalities were identified as army sergeants Gokhan Agil, Savas Borlu, Harun Yildirim and Fatih Kalkan.

The People's Defense Forces (HPG), the armed wing of the PKK, claimed that at least 10 Turkish soldiers were killed in the clashes, which reportedly erupted upon an attempt by Turkish forces to take over control of several tunnels used by Kurdish fighters.

HPG said that 10 soldiers were identified by their IDs, and announced that their first names were Savas, Fatih, Gokhan, Serkan, Burak, Naci, Harun, Mert, Oguz and Fuat.

It also claimed that a Turkish drone was shot and damaged.

Turkey's ongoing military campaign in KRI, dubbed "Operation Claw-Lock" by the Turkish authorities, was launched in mid April, and is being carried out with a particular focus on Metina, Zap, and Avasin-Basyan regions. Large numbers of troops, drones, artillery and war planes take part in the campaign.