Operation Steel was a cross-border operation by the Turkish Armed Forces

Turkish Armed Forces

The Turkish Armed Forces are the military forces of the Republic of Turkey. They consist of the Army, the Navy , and the Air Force...

 into northern Iraq

Iraq

Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....

 between 20 March and 4 May 1995 against the Kurdistan Workers' Party

Kurdistan Workers' Party

The Kurdistan Workers' Party , commonly known as PKK, also known as KGK and formerly known as KADEK or KONGRA-GEL , is a Kurdish organization which has since 1984 been fighting an armed struggle against the Turkish state for an autonomous Kurdistan and greater cultural and political rights...

.

The battle

On March 20, 1995, some 35,000 Turkish troops launched an invasion into Northern Iraq. The effect of the attack was however relatively limited despite high PKK casualties, as majority of PKK forces however left the region before the offensive begun as they had had noticed the military buildup on the border and were anticipating the offensive. By April 25, Turkey pulled out 20,000 of its 35,000 forces from Northern Iraq. After on May 3, the Kurdistan Democratic Party delegation to Turkey said they would stop PKK activities in Iraqi Kurdistan, Turkey withdrew its remaining forces on May 4. The military operation strained relations between Turkey and the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

as over 15,000 Iraqi Kurdish civilians were displaced by Turkish forces.

Casualties

More than 35,000 troops took part in the operation. Turkey announced fatalities at a total of 64 personnel made out of 4 commissioned officers, 5 noncommissioned officers and 55 soldiers. Turkey announced the injured at a total of 185 personnel made out of 13 commissioned officers 8 noncommissioned officers and 164 soldiers. Turkey announced the total number of militants neutralized at a total of 568 with 555 being killed and 13 being captured live or injured. The PKK claimed they killed 261 soldiers and only 18 of their fighters were killed during the operation.