Turkish security forces ‘neutralize’ 2 YPG/PKK terrorists in eastern Türkiye

By Merve Berker

ANKARA (AA) – Security forces “neutralized” two YPG/PKK terrorists in eastern Türkiye, the country's interior minister said on Friday.

The terrorists were taken down in the Ozalp district of Van province in an anti-terror operation by the Turkish police and gendarmerie forces, Ali Yerlikaya said on X, formerly Twitter.

Separately, Turkish border security forces captured two terrorists near the border with Syria, the Turkish National Defense Ministry said on X.

Among the terrorists, one was a member of the Daesh/ISIS terror group, while the other one was a YPG/PKK member, the ministry added.

Turkish authorities use the term “neutralized” to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, UK, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is its Syrian branch.

In 2013, Türkiye became one of the first countries to declare Daesh/ISIS a terrorist organization.

The country has since been attacked by the terror group multiple times, with over 300 people killed and hundreds more injured in at least 10 suicide bombings, seven bomb attacks, and four armed attacks. In response, Türkiye launched anti-terror operations at home and abroad to prevent further attacks.