The ministry said the soldier was killed in a rocket attack by PKK members during Operation Claw-Lightning.

“We wish Allah's mercy to our heroic martyr, our condolences and patience to his precious family, the Turkish Armed Forces, and the nation,” the ministry added.

The Claw-Lightning is an ongoing Turkish Armed Forces cross-border operation in northern Iraq. The operation is taking place in the Metina, Zap, and Avashin-Basyan regions against Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) members.

The operation began on the evening of 23 April 2021, with air and howitzer strikes targeting PKK positions in Northern Iraq.

In the following hours of the strikes, Turkish paratroopers and commandos airdropped from Chinook and Black Hawk helicopters to the points of Metina, Zap, and Avashin-Basyan regions.