In Video: Turkey launches a large-scale military operation in northern Iraq

The Turkish Army launched a large-scale military operation backed by artillery and airstrikes against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants in northern Iraq, Turkish MoD said on Tuesday.
The Ministry of Defense announced in a statement that “Operation Claw” was launched at 8 p.m. on Monday on PKK camps in the Hakurk region with commando brigades and fire support from helicopters, following artillery and airstrikes targeting PKK shelters and ammunition depots.
After the bombardment, commando brigades, backed by T-129 ATAK helicopters and armed and unarmed drones, were deployed to the area.
The military operation aims to destroy shelters and caves used by the Kurdish militants group, the statement said.
Video published by the ministry showed helicopters landing commandos on mountainous terrain. It also shared photos showing shells fired by howitzers and soldiers perched on ridges, surveying hillsides with their rifles.

 
The PKK launched an insurgency in mainly Kurdish southeast Turkey in 1984 and more than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict. It is designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the U.S and the EU.