UPDATE - Türkiye ‘neutralizes’ 11 YPG/PKK terrorists in northern Syria, Iraq

UPDATES WITH DETAILS OF OPERATION IN IRAQ; REVISES HEADLINE, DECK, INTRO; EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Kemal Karadag and Ozcan Yildirim

ANKARA (AA) – Turkish forces “neutralized” 11 YPG/PKK terrorists in northern Syria and Iraq, the National Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

Six terrorists were targeted when they opened fire and tried to mount attacks in the Operation Peace Spring and Olive Branch zones in northern Syria, according to the ministry.

Five other PKK terrorists were targeted by Turkish soldiers in the Operation Claw-Lock and Claw-Tiger zones in northern Iraq, it added.

Turkish authorities use the word “neutralized” to imply that 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).

This April, Türkiye launched Operation Claw-Lock to target PKK hideouts in Iraq’s northern Metina, Zap and Avasin-Basyan regions, near the Turkish border.

It was preceded by Operations Claw-Tiger and Claw-Eagle, which were launched in 2020 to eliminate terrorists hiding in northern Iraq and plotting cross-border attacks in Türkiye.

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.