Forty-eight PKK members were killed, including two senior members, during the operation that had been launched on Wednesday, Hulusi Akar said at the operations center on the border in Turkey’s southeastern Sirnak province.

"The operation has been completed. Our land and air elements returned to their bases and barracks safely," he added.

13 Turkish nationals were killed by PKK in a cave in Gare

Akar also said that Turkish troops also discovered the bodies of 13 Turkish citizens who had been captured by the PKK.

“The bodies of our 13 citizens who were detained in a cave, which was taken under control following the intense clash, were found,” Akar stated.

Meanwhile, the presidential spokesperson İbrahim Kalın shared a post regarding the killing of the civilians.

“PKK executes 13 civilian captives in a cave in #Gara, Iraq. It attacks Turkish & Iraqi security forces & civilians. It continues its terrorist attacks in northern Syria. The world is silent. This silence is a shameful act of complicity. But we will not remain silent,” Kalın tweeted.

PKK executes 13 civilian captives in a cave in #Gara, Iraq. It attacks Turkish & Iraqi security forces & civilians. It continues its terrorist attacks in northern Syria.

The world is silent. This silence is a shameful act of complicity.

But we will not remain silent.

— Ibrahim Kalin (@ikalin1) February 14, 2021

Operation Claw-Eagle 2 was an air and ground operation launched by the Turkish Armed Forces against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the Duhok Governorate of the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq.

According to Turkey, it was launched to secure the border between Turkey and Iraq and to eliminate the PKK in the area.

Following the airstrikes, the ground operation began at 04:55 on Wednesday as Turkish commandos were airdropped near Siyanê village and engaged in fighting against People's Defense Forces (HPG) fighters. Three Turkish soldiers were killed and three others were wounded during the initial clash, and clashes continued into the next day. (ILKHA)