Turkey has 11 military bases in northern Iraq - PM

By  Trend

Turkey has 11 military bases in northern Iraq, and this greatly facilitates the fight against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said, Turkish media reported June 4.

As part of the operations in northern Iraq and Syria, a territory of 250 square kilometers was cleared of terrorists, he noted.

“Turkey’s goal is to ensure security of its borders, starting from Syria and ending with the border with Iran,” Yildirim said.

The conflict between Turkey and the PKK, which demands the creation of an independent Kurdish state, has continued for more than 30 years and has claimed more than 40,000 lives.

The UN and the European Union list the PKK as a terrorist organization.

On January 20, the Turkish armed forces launched the Operation Olive Branch together with the Free Syrian Army in the Syrian region of Afrin.