Türkiye over last 7 days ‘neutralized’ 45 PKK/YPG terrorists in northern Syria, Iraq

By Esra Tekin and Utku Simsek

ANKARA / ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish security forces neutralized a total of 45 PKK/YPG terrorists in northern Iraq and northern Syria in the past week, said the country’s National Defense Ministry on Thursday.

With the 45 terrorists neutralized in the past week, “the total number of terrorists neutralized in northern Iraq and Syria since Jan. 1 has reached 2,194,” Rear Adm. Zeki Akturk, the ministry’s spokesman, told 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.

PKK terrorists often hide out in northern Iraq to plot attacks in nearby Türkiye.

In northern Syria, YPG/PKK terrorists seek to threaten the Turkish border while trying to harass and attack local Syrians and Turkish troops promoting stability in a region once dominated by terrorist groups, due to a power vacuum in conflict-torn Syria.

Akturk also said that 194 people, including 10 members of terrorist groups, were caught while attempting to cross the border illegally over the past week, while 1,505 others were prevented from crossing.

“The number of people apprehended while attempting to cross our borders illegally since Jan. 1, 2024 has risen to 11,873, and the number of people prevented from crossing the border has reached 82,307,” he said.

- Procurement of Eurofighter Typhoon, F-16 fighter jets

On the status of the procurement of Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets from a European consortium and F-16 Vipers from the US, Turkish security sources said Ankara is working in line with its goals to incorporate high-tech modern fighter jets into the inventory of the Turkish Air Force and to diversify its fleet.

“On the procurement of the F-16s, a contract was signed in recent months, a timeline has been established, and the process is proceeding as planned,” said sources speaking on background.

“For the procurement of the Eurofighter Typhoon, technical-level work is ongoing. These efforts are being conducted to accelerate the process, and no conditions have been raised during these discussions,” the sources added.

The Eurofighters are produced by Germany, Spain, Italy, and the UK. For a sale to go forward, all the countries must agree.