Turkish military helicopter crashes in KRI, a crew member killed

The Turkish Ministry of Defense said in a communication on Monday that a military helicopter crashed in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) late Sunday. While seven of the crew on board were reportedly rescued, a crew identified as army sergeant Umit Kesti was killed.

The Ministry said that the Sikorsky helicopter was on a supply mission and "had to make a hard landing" because of "technical reasons" in an area where military operations are carried out against Kurdish fighters affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

The helicopter was "destroyed due to the accident," the Ministry informed.

Turkey's ongoing operation, 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 operation.