Turkey says 35 Kurd leaders killed in airstrikes in Iraq

ANKARA, Turkey – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has again asserted that Turkish jets have dealt a heavy blow on the outlawed Kurdish rebels’ leadership in Iraq, saying some 35 high-level militants were killed.

Addressing crowds during a campaign rally on Thursday, Erdogan said Turkish warplanes recently struck Iraq’s Qandil mountain while a group of 35 senior militants were holding a meeting. He did not provide details.

Qandil, near Iraq’s border with Iran, is where the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, maintains its headquarters.

Erdogan said: “We caught them during their leaders’ meeting. During this leaders’ meeting, we finished off 35 important names.”

In Iraq, a PKK spokesman, Serhet Varto, confirmed heavy Turkish airstrikes in the area but denied they had caused any casualties.

The claims could not be in verified independently.