Türkiye 'neutralizes' 17 terrorists in northern Iraq, Syria

UPDATES WITH TERRORISTS DEATH TOLL; CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK AND LEDE

By Necva Tastan, Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish security forces "neutralized" 17 terrorists in northern Iraq and northern Syria, the country’s National Defense Ministry announced on Sunday.

In the Operation Claw-Lock area in northern Iraq, 10 PKK terrorists were neutralized in an air operation, the ministry said in a statement on X.

“Our heroic Turkish Armed Forces continue to demolish terrorist hideouts with their steel claws,” it added.

In a separate statement, the ministry said that Turkish security forces “neutralized” 7 PKK/YPG terrorists in northern Syria.

“Our heroic Turkish Armed Forces neutralized 7 PKK/YPG terrorists targeted in the Operation Euphrates Shield zone, Operation Peace Spring zone, and Bafdik regions in northern Syria before they could achieve their treacherous goals,” said the ministry on X.

The ministry also expressed Türkiye’s determination to eliminate terrorists.

Turkish authorities use the term "neutralize" to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.

Türkiye launched Operation Claw-Lock in April 2022 to target the PKK terror organization's 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 launched in 2020 to root out terrorists hiding out 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, UK, and EU — has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is PKK’s Syrian branch.