ANKARA, May 30 (Xinhua) -- Two Turkish soldiers were killed in operations against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) over the weekend in northern Iraq, Turkey's Defense Ministry said in a statement on Monday.
The soldiers were killed in clashes with the "terrorists" on Saturday and Sunday in areas in northern Iraq, it said.
In April, Turkey launched the ground and air military offensive, dubbed "Operation Claw-Lock," in northern Iraq against the PKK targets in Metina, Zap, and Avasin-Basyan.
The fighting in the region between the Turkish army and the group escalated in the past few weeks, increasing the casualties of Turkey's security forces.
Turkey regularly conducts cross-border operations on the PKK bases in the neighboring country.
The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, has been rebelling against the Turkish government for over 30 years.
Iraq has protested against the Turkish operation in northern Iraq as a violation of its sovereignty. ■
