Turkey neutralizes 4 PKK terrorists in northern Iraq

By Gozde Bayar

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey "neutralized" four PKK terrorists in northern Iraq, the National Defense Ministry said on Monday.

Three terrorists were neutralized in the Operation Pence-Simsek zone, while another one in Operation Pence-Yildirim area, the ministry tweeted.

Sharing footage of the operations, the ministry said operations against terrorists in northern Iraq are continuing.

Turkish authorities use the word neutralize to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.

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

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

Operations Pence-Kaplan and Pence-Kartal were initiated last June, while Pence-Simsek and Pence-Yildirim were launched this April in Iraq’s Metina and Avasin-Basyan regions.

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