Iraqi Border Guards Clash with PKK Fighters

Two Iraqi border guards were killed, and one injured, in a clash with PKK fighters near Zakho at the Turkey-Iraq border. The PKK is recognized as a terrorist group by several countries. The confrontation reportedly took place after PKK members were denied border passage.

In a fatal encounter on Friday, two Iraqi border guards were killed during a skirmish with fighters from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), according to the Iraqi interior ministry.

The incident occurred near Zakho, a town located at the border with Turkey, when the PKK militants were refused passage through an Iraqi Kurdish border post, as detailed by security sources. A third border guard sustained injuries during the altercation.

The PKK, designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union, has been engaged in conflict with Turkey since 1984, pursuing the goal of establishing an independent Kurdish state. Turkish forces have occasionally crossed into northern Iraq in attempts to neutralize PKK militants.

(With inputs from agencies.)