Turkey Eliminates Five PKK and YPG Members in Syria and Iraq

Istanbul, Dec 28 (NationPress) The Turkish military has eliminated five individuals affiliated with the banned Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) and the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in both Syria and Iraq, as reported by the Defence Ministry on Saturday.

In a statement shared on X, the ministry indicated that three 'terrorists' associated with the PKK and YPG were neutralised in the Euphrates Shield area of northern Syria. Turkey regards the YPG as the Syrian counterpart of the PKK.

Furthermore, two additional PKK members were neutralised in the Claw-Lock Operation zone in northern Iraq, according to the ministry.

The ministry affirmed, "We will persist in our struggle against terrorism with unwavering determination and resolve, just as we have done until now."

Turkish officials frequently employ the term 'neutralise' in their announcements to suggest that the suspected terrorists have surrendered, been killed, or captured, as reported by Xinhua news agency.

Earlier, on December 25, Turkey's National Intelligence Organisation (MIT) neutralised a senior figure of the banned PKK in Iraq, purportedly before an impending attack on Turkish forces in the region.

Firat Serihan, who was on Turkey's wanted list, was neutralised in a targeted strike in Iraq's Gara region, although the exact timing of the operation remains unspecified.

According to the Turkish public broadcaster TRT, Serihan and other militants preparing to assault Turkish security forces in Gara were neutralised during the operation.

Serihan had reportedly orchestrated and led attacks against Turkish security forces in northern Syria back in 2016.

He was also charged with supplying weaponry and ammunition to operatives aiming to execute assaults in the Turkish military's Pence-Kilit Operation Zone in northern Iraq.

Since 2016, Turkey has initiated anti-terror operations along its border with northern Syria to establish a zone free of the YPG. These operations have included Euphrates Shield in 2016, Olive Branch in 2018, and Peace Spring in 2019 and 2020.

In 2022, Turkey commenced Operation Claw-Lock in northern Iraq to target PKK hideouts.

The PKK is classified as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union, having engaged in an armed rebellion against the Turkish government for four decades.