Turkey neutralizes 4 PKK terrorists in northern Iraq

By Jeyhun Aliyev

ANKARA (AA) – Turkish forces neutralized four PKK terrorists in northern Iraq, the National Defense Ministry said on Friday.

Two terrorists were targeted in an airstrike in the Gara region and the other two were neutralized in the Operation Pence-Simsek zone by fire support vehicles and ATAK helicopters, the ministry said on Twitter.

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

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.