Turkish Reconnaissance Plane Crashed Not Far From Iraqi Border, All 7 On Board Dead

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On July 16^th, a Turkish reconnaissance plane crashed in a mountain in Turkey’s Van province.

As a result, 7 Turkish security personnel died, including the 2 pilots.

“Our teams have informed us that we have lost seven heroes, two of them are the pilots,” Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu told reporters in the eastern province.

The plane crashed at an altitude of 2,200 meters (7218 feet) on Mount Artos, Soylu added.

The aircraft took off from Van Ferit Melen Airport at 6.35 p.m. local time.

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The 2015 model-plane was missioned for reconnaissance and surveillance in Van and Hakkari provinces since Monday, said Soylu.

He said the pilots contacted the tower for the last time when they were around Baskale district at 10.32 p.m. At around 10.45 p.m. (1945GMT), radar and communication were completely stopped, he added.

The reason for the crash is unclear, and Mount Artos, where the plane crashed is quite far from the Iraqi border.

It is without a doubt that the reconnaissance plane is part of the recent Turkish operations in Northeastern Iraq – Claw-Eagle and Claw-Tiger.

Turkish security forces have “neutralized” 62 terrorists so far as part of Operation Claw-Tiger in northern Iraq, the defense minister said on July 14^th. The operation began on June 15^th.

On July 16^th, Turkish security forces “neutralized” three more PKK terrorists as part of Operation Claw-Tiger in northern Iraq.

According to a (now deleted) post from Turkey’s Communications Ministry, Turkey has 37 military installations on the border with or inside the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

welve of these bases are thought to be newly created since the beginning of the Turkish offensive on 15 June, and suggest that Turkey is trying to increase its ‘security corridor’ along its border by pushing up to 50 kilometres inside Iraq.

If Turkish reports are to be trusted, the armed forces are having significant success, but that is no guarantee, since they’ve been proven to commonly use old footage to advertise new success.

MORE ON THE TOPIC:

• Turkey Has 37 ‘Military Points’ In Northern Iraq (Map Update)