Istanbul, 10 August 2023 (dpa/MIA) - At least six Turkish soldiers were killed in clashes with fighters of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, the Turkish Defence Ministry said.

On Thursday the ministry reported a sixth soldier had died. Five were killed from "harassing fire" by the "terrorist" group in Iraq's north, the ministry said late Wednesday. The fighting continues.

A Turkish military offensive against the PKK has been ongoing since April 2022 in the area.

Designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and the United States, the PKK has been waging an insurgency within Turkey since early 1980s.

The armed conflict has cost tens of thousands of lives.

Turkey wants the PKK and its affiliated US-backed groups to withdraw from its entire border area with Iraq and Syria, calling their existence a national threat.

Ankara has military bases in northern Iraq and controls pockets of land in Syria's north following a series of incursions there.

Photo: MIA Archive