Turkey's new military campaign, Operation Claw-Lock, aims to rid Iraqi lands of terrorists and guarantee the security of our borders, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday, Yeni Safak reports.
"Turkey doesn't seek any other country's land—it only wants to ensure security of its borders, stability of its neighbors," Erdogan said, addressing his ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party in capital Ankara.
“The Turkish Armed Forces launched this operation to clear the areas occupied in northern Iraq from terrorists,” said Erdogan, adding that the area has been used by PKK terrorists to prepare and organize terror attacks on Turkish soil.
“We are making every effort to contribute to the strengthening of their territorial integrity and political unity so that our neighbors can live in security and peace,” said Erdogan.
“We will continue to do so. We act with the same aim in Syria as in Iraq,” he added.
The National Defense Ministry said it launched Operation Claw-Lock on Monday after reports that the terrorist PKK was planning to launch a large-scale attack, adding that the operation is in line with the UN Charter's principle of self-defense.
In 2020, Turkey launched operations Claw-Tiger and Claw-Eagle in the border regions of northern Iraq to ensure the safety of the Turkish people and its frontiers.
In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.