UPDATE - Turkey neutralizes 31 PKK terrorists in northern Iraq

ADDS MORE REMARS BY TURKEY'S NATIONAL DEFENSE MINISTER

By Ozcan Yildirim

HAKKARI, Turkey (AA) - Turkish forces have neutralized 31 PKK terrorists so far in northern Iraq as part of Turkey's new anti-terror operations there, the country's defense minister said Sunday.

Hulusi Akar was commenting after he and Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) commanders inspected the 3rd Infantry Division Command in Yuksekova district of Turkey’s southeastern Hakkari province and received a briefing on the newly launched Operations Pence-Simsek and Pence-Yildirim.

"So far, a total of 1,132 terror targets have been hit with our land fire support vehicles. Our Air Force also achieved great success as a whole, hitting 120 targets in total. Along with these, we evaluate that the terrorists have suffered great casualties," he said.

Noting that so far, a total of 31 terrorists have been neutralized as part of the current operations in the regions, Akar said that six soldiers had been wounded.

Turkey's Defense Ministry later announced that one soldier was martyred in the Operations Pence-Simsek area.

"Our fight is against all terrorists, especially the PKK. The world should know that we do not have any problems with any ethnic group, sect or religious group and that we are not targeting them," he noted.

Underlining that Turkey only targets terrorists, he also stressed that they will continue launching anti-terror operations until the last terrorist is neutralized.

Turkey on Friday launched Operations Pence-Simsek and Pence-Yildirim in northern Iraq’s Metina and Avasin-Basyan regions near Turkey’s borders, Akar announced early Saturday.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said later Saturday that the operation aims to completely eliminate the terrorist threat along Turkey’s southern borders.

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

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 European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.

- 'Biden's remarks deny their own documents'

Touching on US President Joe Biden's remarks on the events of 1915, Akar noted that the statement is a distortion of historical facts and does not reflect the truth.

He emphasized that the allegations are extremely unfounded, groundless and have no basis.

"Everyone should know that this work belongs only to scientists, historians, that they [the claims] are not a matter of political decisions…Our position on this issue is very clear," Akar said.

On Saturday, Biden called the events of 1915 a "genocide," breaking with American presidents' long-held tradition of refraining from using the term.

- Turkish stance on 1915 events

Turkey's position on the events of 1915 is that the deaths of Armenians in eastern Anatolia took place when some sided with invading Russians and revolted against Ottoman forces. A subsequent relocation of Armenians resulted in numerous casualties.

Turkey objects to the presentation of these incidents as "genocide," describing them as a tragedy in which both sides suffered casualties.

Ankara has repeatedly proposed the creation of a joint commission of historians from Turkey and Armenia as well as international experts to tackle the issue.

In 2014, Recep Tayyip Erdogan – Turkey’s then-prime minister and now president – expressed his condolences to the descendants of Armenians who lost their lives in the events of 1915.