Turkey ‘neutralizes’ 2 PKK terrorists in northern Iraq

By Ayse Sensoy Boztepe

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish security forces neutralized two PKK terrorists in an airstrike in northern Iraq, the National Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.

The terrorists were “neutralized” in the Operation Pence-Yildirim region in northern Iraq, the ministry said on Twitter.

Turkish authorities often use the word “neutralized” in statements to imply the terrorists in question either surrendered or were killed or captured.

The Pence operations are a series of offensives Turkey has been carrying out since 2019 against terrorist organizations in northern Iraq, particularly the PKK.

The latest ones are the Pence-Simsek and Pence-Yildirim operations launched on April 23 in the Metina and Avasin-Basyan regions near the country's borders.

The PKK terror group often hides out in northern Iraq, just across Turkey's southern border, to plot terror attacks in Turkey.

In its over 35 years 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.