2008 Turkish incursion into northern Iraq

Operation Sun
	Part of the Kurdish–Turkish conflict, Iraq War and the Iraqi civil war (2006–2008)
	; Location of the Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq
Date	February 21, 2008 – February 29, 2008
Location	Kurdistan Region, Iraq
Result	Both sides claim victory
Belligerents
Turkey	PKK; PJAK
Commanders and leaders
Yaşar Büyükanıt; İlker Başbuğ; Aydoğan Babaoğlu; Bekir Kalyoncu	Murat Karayilan; Fehman Huseyin; Cemil Bayik; Murat Karasac
Strength
5,000-10,000 troops or several hundred, including 3,000 special forces; 14 aircraft	5,000 (estimated)
Casualties and losses
24 soldiers killed; 3 village guards killed; 1 AH-1 Cobra lost	237 killed, 3 captured; "Tens" killed (PKK claim)[citation needed]

The 2008 Turkish incursion into northern Iraq, code-named Operation Sun (Turkish: Güneş Harekatı) by the Turkish Armed Forces, began on February 21, 2008, when the Turkish Army sent troops into northern Iraq to target the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).^[13] The ground offensive was preceded by Turkish Air Force bombardments of PKK camps in northern Iraq, which began on December 16, 2007.^[14]^[15] It was the "first confirmed ground incursion" of Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.^[16]

Initial reports indicated that up to 10,000 troops had taken part in the operation,^[6] although the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Multi-National Force – Iraq claimed only a few hundred troops were involved.^[5]

^ "Page 2" (PDF). Retrieved July 17, 2023.
^ "PKK triumphant as Ankara retreats from Northern Iraq". Retrieved November 17, 2016.
^ "Turkey claims victory over PKK as it withdraws troops from Iraq". Archived from the original on June 29, 2011.
^ "Genel Kurmay Basın Açıklamaları: Duyurular - Yüz 2". GuncelMeydan. February 24, 2008. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
^ ^a ^b Muir, Jim (February 22, 2008). "Turkey border tensions fuel confusion". BBC News. Archived from the original on February 25, 2008. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
^ ^a ^b Bendern, Paul de (February 22, 2008). "Turkey launches major land offensive into N.Iraq". Reuters. Archived from the original on February 26, 2008. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
^ "Turkey launches ground operation against PKK in Northern Iraq, Turkish army said". Hürriyet News. February 22, 2008.
^ "US to seek end to Turkey assault". BBC News. February 27, 2008.
^ ^a ^b Hürriyet: Örgütün kalpgahı imha edildi (2008-02-29) ^{[clarification needed]}
^ Cite error: The named reference smh was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference bbcobra was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Acar, Hasan; Pekcaoğlu, Mustafa (2022). "Türkiye'nin uluslararası askeri harekat deneyimi ve terörle mücadelede askeri kapasitesi". Tarsus Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi Dergisi (in Turkish). 3 (1). Tarsus Üniversitesi: 80–101. ISSN 2757-5357.
^ Bendern, Paul de (February 22, 2008). "Turkey army launches land offensive into Iraq". Reuters. Archived from the original on February 25, 2008. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
^ "News Channel - Homepage - flightglobal.com". Retrieved November 17, 2016.
^ "Turkish jets bomb Kurdish rebel hideouts in northern Iraq". The Jerusalem Post. January 15, 2008. Archived from the original on September 16, 2011. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
^ Tavernise, Sabrina; Arsu, Sebnem (February 22, 2008). "Turkey Says It Has Sent Ground Troops Into Iraq". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 20, 2013. Retrieved February 22, 2008.

[1] "Page 2" (PDF). Retrieved July 17, 2023.

[2] "PKK triumphant as Ankara retreats from Northern Iraq". Retrieved November 17, 2016.

[3] "Turkey claims victory over PKK as it withdraws troops from Iraq". Archived from the original on June 29, 2011.

[4] "Genel Kurmay Basın Açıklamaları: Duyurular - Yüz 2". GuncelMeydan. February 24, 2008. Retrieved January 6, 2014.

[auto-5] Muir, Jim (February 22, 2008). "Turkey border tensions fuel confusion". BBC News. Archived from the original on February 25, 2008. Retrieved February 22, 2008.

[Bendern-6] Bendern, Paul de (February 22, 2008). "Turkey launches major land offensive into N.Iraq". Reuters. Archived from the original on February 26, 2008. Retrieved February 22, 2008.

[7] "Turkey launches ground operation against PKK in Northern Iraq, Turkish army said". Hürriyet News. February 22, 2008.

[8] "US to seek end to Turkey assault". BBC News. February 27, 2008.

[hurr-9] Hürriyet: Örgütün kalpgahı imha edildi (2008-02-29) ^{[clarification needed]}

[smh-10] Cite error: The named reference smh was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[bbcobra-11] Cite error: The named reference bbcobra was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[12] Acar, Hasan; Pekcaoğlu, Mustafa (2022). "Türkiye'nin uluslararası askeri harekat deneyimi ve terörle mücadelede askeri kapasitesi". Tarsus Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi Dergisi (in Turkish). 3 (1). Tarsus Üniversitesi: 80–101. ISSN 2757-5357.

[autogenerated2-13] Bendern, Paul de (February 22, 2008). "Turkey army launches land offensive into Iraq". Reuters. Archived from the original on February 25, 2008. Retrieved February 22, 2008.

[14] "News Channel - Homepage - flightglobal.com". Retrieved November 17, 2016.

[jpost-15] "Turkish jets bomb Kurdish rebel hideouts in northern Iraq". The Jerusalem Post. January 15, 2008. Archived from the original on September 16, 2011. Retrieved 2008-02-22.

[autogenerated8-16] Tavernise, Sabrina; Arsu, Sebnem (February 22, 2008). "Turkey Says It Has Sent Ground Troops Into Iraq". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 20, 2013. Retrieved February 22, 2008.

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