BREAKING NEWS

Turkish soldier killed in clash in northern Iraq, defense ministry says

A Turkish soldier was killed on Monday in a clash with fighters from the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, and Turkish airstrikes killed many insurgents, the Defence Ministry said.

The airstrikes also destroyed 21 PKK targets, the ministry said in a statement without elaborating.

Ankara uses the term "neutralized" to mean killed.

The soldier was killed in a clash in the Gara region, and Turkish air forces targeted PKK bases in Gara, Hakurk, Metina, and Qandil, the ministry said.

The PKK, designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union, took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the insurgency.