By Merve Berker
ANKARA (AA) - Turkish security forces “neutralized” five YPG/PKK terrorists in northern Syria, near the Turkish border, authorities said on Friday.
The terrorists were planning an attack on Türkiye's Operation Peace Spring zone, the Turkish National Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Turkish authorities use the term “neutralize” to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.
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 Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.