2008 Turkish incursion into northern Iraq
The 2008 Turkish incursion into northern Iraq, code-named Operation Sun (Turkish: Güneş Harekatı) by the Turkish Armed Forces, began on February 21, 2008, when the Turkish Army sent troops into northern Iraq to target the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The ground offensive was preceded by Turkish Air Force bombardments of PKK camps in northern Iraq, which began on December 16, 2007. It was the "first confirmed ground incursion" of Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
Operation Sun | |||||||
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Part of the Kurdish–Turkish conflict, Iraq War and the Iraqi civil war (2006–2008) | |||||||
Location of the Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Turkey |
PKK PJAK | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Yaşar Büyükanıt İlker Başbuğ Aydoğan Babaoğlu Bekir Kalyoncu |
Murat Karayilan Fehman Huseyin Cemil Bayik Murat Karasac | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
5,000-10,000 troops or several hundred, including 3,000 special forces 14 aircraft | 5,000 (estimated) | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
24 soldiers killed |
237 killed, 3 captured "Tens" killed (PKK claim) |
Initial reports indicated that up to 10,000 troops had taken part in the operation, although the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Multi-National Force – Iraq claimed only a few hundred troops were involved.
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