Turkish security forces eliminate 10 PKK terrorists in northern Syria and Iraq

Turkish security forces killed 10 PKK/YPG terrorists in northern Syria and northern Iraq, the country’s National Defense Ministry announced on Saturday.

The security forces killed six PKK terrorists identified in Operation Claw-Lock region in northern Iraq.

Another four terrorists were killed in the Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch operation regions in northern Syria.

In 2022, Türkiye launched Operation Claw-Lock to target the terrorist group PKK’s hideouts in Iraq’s northern Metina, Zap, and Avasin-Basyan regions near the Turkish border.

Since 2016, Ankara has also initiated a trio of successful counterterrorism operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a PKK/YPG terror corridor and to enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).

In its nearly 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the U.S., 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.