Trkiye: Trkiye “neutralized” a total of nine PKK/YPG terrorists in northern Iraq and Syria, the National Defense Ministry stated on Monday. Eight PKK terrorists were targeted in Operation Claw-Lock Zone in northern Iraq, and one PKK/YPG terrorist in Operation Euphrates Shield Zone in northern Syria, the ministry announced on X.
According to Anadolu Agency, Turkish authorities use the term “neutralize” to imply that the terrorists in question surrendered, were killed, or were captured. PKK terrorists are known to often hide in northern Iraq to plot cross-border attacks in Trkiye.
Trkiye launched Operation Claw-Lock in 2022 to target the terror group’s hideouts in northern Iraq’s Metina, Zap, and Avasin-Basyan regions. In northern Syria, Ankara has initiated a series of anti-terror operations since 2016, including Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019), aiming to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and facilitate the peaceful settlement of residents.
In its 40-year terro
r campaign against Trkiye, the PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Trkiye, the US, and the EU, has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 individuals, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is recognized as the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.