Erdogan: Operation Claw-Lock put the terrorist PKK in a struggle with death

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday that Operation Claw-Lock puts the PKK terrorist organization in a struggle with death. He praised the Turkish army's great success in the operation and the seizure of weapons and ammunition in the terrorists' quarters and hideouts.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday that Operation Claw-Lock puts the PKK terrorist organization in a struggle with death.

Erdogan's statement came after he left a mosque in Istanbul, after performing Friday prayers.

He confirmed that the claw-lock operation had killed 45 terrorists since its launch last Monday.

He pointed out that 3 members of the Turkish army were martyred during the operation.

Erdogan made it clear that the Turkish army continues to pursue the remnants of terrorists into their holes in the framework of the "claw-lock" operation.

He stressed that the operation will continue until its goals are achieved, and that Turkey will continue to fight terrorism tirelessly.

He praised the Turkish army's great success in the operation, and the seizure of many weapons and ammunition in the terrorists' quarters and hideouts.

And he indicated that the Turkish army is making efforts to complete the tasks entrusted to it within the operation with minimal damage and without making any concessions.

"It will take some time, but I hope the result will be good for our people, our country and our state," he added.

At dawn on Monday, Turkey launched Operation Claw - Lock against terrorist elements in the areas of Matina, Zab and Afshin-Basyan in northern Iraq.

In a separate context, Erdogan said that "the results of the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations are positive, but they are not in the form we would like."

Erdogan pointed out that the Turkish side will hold contacts with the Russian and Ukrainian sides in the framework of efforts to establish peace between the two countries.

The Turkish president indicated that he plans to hold two contacts with his Russian counterparts, Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelensky, today or tomorrow.

He expressed his hope that Putin and Zelensky would accept Turkey's invitation to hold a bilateral meeting between them in Istanbul.

Last March, Istanbul witnessed talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations at the Dolmabahce Presidential Palace, following Turkish diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the war and bringing peace between the two sides of the crisis.

On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine, which was followed by angry international reactions and the imposition of "tough" economic and financial sanctions on Moscow.