By Utku Simsek and Esra Tekin
ANKARA/ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish security forces “neutralized” 38 PKK/YPG terrorists in northern Iraq and northern Syria over the past week, the country’s National Defense Ministry said on Thursday.
“Thirty-eight terrorists were neutralized in the past week. Thus, the total number of terrorists neutralized in northern Iraq and Syria since Jan. 1 has reached 1,763, with 868 in Iraq and 895 in northern Syria,” Rear Admiral Zeki Akturk, the ministry’s spokesman, said at a weekly news conference in the capital Ankara.
Turkish authorities use the term “neutralize” to imply that the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.
In its nearly 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.
Akturk also said that 337 people, including eight members of terrorist groups, were nabbed while attempting to cross the border illegally over the past week, while 1,381 others were prevented from crossing.
“The number of people apprehended while attempting to cross our borders illegally since Jan. 1, 2024, has risen to 8,673, and the number of people prevented from crossing the border has reached 70,712,” he said.
- MoU on security cooperation with Iraq
Drawing attention to a memorandum of understanding on military, security cooperation and counterterrorism signed on Aug. 15 by Turkish and Iraqi defense ministers, Akturk said that the goal is to coordinate efforts against terrorist threats and improve security for both nations by establishing Joint Security Coordination Center and Joint Training and Cooperation Center.
He further said that the Joint Security Coordination Center will be established in Iraq's capital Baghdad, jointly managed by one general-level commander from each country.
Meanwhile, Turkish security sources said that Türkiye is closely monitoring recent activities on the island of Cyprus and the actions of the Greek Cypriot administration.
They said the necessary measures are in place to protect the Turkish Cypriots on the island, adding that there are currently no security concerns.