Turkey ‘neutralizes’ 3 YPG/PKK terrorists in northern Iraq, Syria

By Burak Bir

ANKARA (AA) – Turkish security forces "neutralized" three YPG/PKK terrorists in northern Syria and northern Iraq, authorities said on Wednesday.

One terrorist in the Operation Pence-Yildirim Zone in northern Iraq, and two terrorists in Euphrates Shield Zone in northern Syria were neutralized by commandos, the Turkish National Defense Ministry said on Twitter.

The ministry also posted footage of the operations.

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

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

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

Since 2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).

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. The YPG is the PKK's Syrian offshoot.