Turkey launches airstrikes in Northern Iraq and Syria

Turkey conducted airstrikes against "terrorist targets" in northern Iraq and Syria following the death of nine of its soldiers, as announced by the Turkish Ministry of Defense.

Nine Turkish soldiers were killed and four others were wounded in an attack on a Turkish military base in northern Iraq, the ministry reported early Saturday, revising the earlier death toll of six.

"In accordance with our right to self-defense (...), aerial operations were carried out against terrorist targets in the regions of Metina, Hakurk, Gara, and Qandil," the Turkish Ministry of Defense stated in a press release.

The Turkish military claimed to have targeted "caves, bunkers, shelters, and oil installations" belonging to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the People's Protection Units (YPG), two Kurdish armed groups considered as terrorists by Turkey.

The Turkish military regularly conducts both ground and aerial operations against PKK fighters in northern Iraq, the autonomous Kurdistan region, and the mountainous Sinjar area. Turkish soldiers are unfortunately frequently killed in this region due to the presence of these armed groups.

In response to this severe attack on Turkish forces, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will hold an emergency security meeting in Istanbul on Saturday.

The meeting will be attended by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Interior, as well as the Chief of Staff and the head of Turkish intelligence services.

Furthermore, 113 individuals suspected of having ties to the PKK, which the Turkish military has been combating since 1984, were arrested on Saturday in 32 out of Turkey's 81 provinces, as announced by Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya on the social network X.

In this context, the ruling AKP party and the main opposition party, CHP, have decided to postpone the planned presentation of some of their candidates for the municipal elections scheduled for March 31st.

The situation remains tense, with potentially significant implications for regional stability and international relations.