Turkish soldiers killed in clashes with Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq

The Turkish Defense Ministry said in a statement that a Turkish soldier was killed during a clash with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq.

On June 17, Turkey launched fresh air and ground strikes against the PKK.

According to a report by the foreign news agency Al Jazeera, the PKK has been waging an armed campaign against Turkey since 1984. The organization has been declared a terrorist organization by its Western allies, including Ankara.

Turkey says the PKK is responsible for 40,000 deaths in three decades of war.

PKK fighters are attacked daily by Turkey in Kurdish southeastern regions and northern Iraq.

It has also threatened a possible ground offensive against PKK bases in Iraq's Qandil Mountains in recent years.

Earlier this month, the UAE said military intervention violated Iraqi sovereignty.

The latest attacks are being protested by Iraq, which has twice summoned the Turkish ambassador to Baghdad.

Local Kurdish officials in northern Iraq say at least five civilians have been killed since the operation began about two weeks ago.

However, Turkey says it is targeting the PKK and that its military has done everything in its power to prevent civilian casualties and attacks on civilian targets.

Turkey's Defense Ministry says its security forces "neutralized" a PKK fighter in northern Iraq on Sunday.

The National Defense Ministry said on Twitter that the militants were targeted in an airstrike.