Turkey continues elimination of terror in N.Iraq

By Ahmet Sertan Usul

ANKARA (AA) – Turkey’s fight against terrorism in northern Iraq is progressing without any letup, the National Defense Ministry said on Friday.

“With Operations Pence-Simsek and Pence-Yildirim in northern Iraq, our elimination of terror continues without slowing down,” the ministry said on Twitter.

“Detection and destruction of weapons, ammunition, and planted IEDs (improvised explosive devices) during search and screening activities continues.”

The ministry also shared a video showing weapons and ammunition seized from terrorist hideouts.

Operations Pence-Simsek and Pence-Yildirim were launched on April 23 in the Metina and Avasin-Basyan regions in northern Iraq near Turkey’s borders.

Speaking about the operations a day later, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said they are aimed at completely eliminating the terrorist threat along Turkey’s southern borders.

The PKK terrorist group often uses bases in northern Iraq just across Turkey’s southern border to hide and plot terrorist attacks in Turkey.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.

*Writing by Seda Sevencan in Istanbul