Turkish authorities announced on Monday that there had recently been five fatalities in the ongoing military operations in Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), according to a report by the Turkish state news agency AA.

It was confirmed by the authorities that an army sergeant named Remzi Nisan, and privates Bulent Vermez, Kemal Imece, Avdi Demir and Veysi Sebik were all killed in clashes with Kurdish fighters affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Turkey’s latest incursion into KRI, dubbed “Operation Claw-Lock,” was launched in mid April with war planes, armed drones, helicopters and large numbers of troops, with the clashes showing no sign of slowing down after three months.

Casualty figures announced by both sides are equally controversial and both sides rarely report on their own fatalities.

While the Turkish authorities say that the military campaign targets the fighters of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, many civilian casualties have been reported in the process.

Most recently, nine civilians were killed and 23 injured in an artillery attack on 20 July in Duhok province, which according to the Iraqi government officials was carried out by Turkish forces.