Turkish security forces have “neutralised” 26 more PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) fighters in northern Syria and Iraq, the country’s national defence ministry reported on Monday.
According to preliminary findings, at least 26 terrorists were neutralized in airstrikes targeting terrorist elements in the northern regions of Iraq and Syria on December 23, 2023.
National Defence Minister Yasar Guler claimed on Sunday that the number of those “neutralised” after military operations in the Claw-Lock area of northern Iraq had risen to 30.
Following Friday’s PKK attack that killed 12 soldiers, Turkish airstrikes destroyed dozens of targets in northern Iraq and Syria. Some 56 militants have been “neutralised” due to the latest action.
On Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan pledged that Turkey would pay “whatever the cost,” to prevent PKK soldiers in northern Iraq and Syria, who Ankara says often hide in that area to prepare cross-border strikes against Turkey.
Turkey launched Operation Claw-Lock in April 2022, targeting PKK hideouts in the Metina, Zap, and Avasin-Basyan regions of northern Iraq, located near the Turkish border.
The PKK is listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US and the EU. The organisation is responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people.
Turkish authorities use the term “neutralise” to imply that the militants involved have surrendered, been killed or captured.
