Türkiye eliminates 56 terrorists in Iraq and Syria

The Turkish National Defense Ministry announced Thursday that 56 terrorists were “eliminated” in counterterrorism operations conducted in northern Iraq and Syria over the past week.

“Over the past week, counterterrorism operations in northern Iraq and Syria have resulted in the elimination of 56 terrorists,” ministry spokesman Zeki Akturk told reporters at a briefing in the capital, Ankara.

Son bir haftada; Irak ve Suriye’nin kuzeyinde icra edilen terörle mücadele operasyonları ile 56 terörist etkisiz hâle getirilmiş, hudutlarımızda ise 4’ü terör örgütü mensubu olmak üzere 140 şahıs yakalanmıştır. #MillîSavunmaBakanlığı pic.twitter.com/ySO19qwncd

— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) February 13, 2025

He added that 377 terrorists have been eliminated since Jan. 1, 2025, with 134 in northern Iraq and 243 in northern Syria.

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

Illegal crossings into Türkiye

Regarding illegal border crossings into Türkiye, Akturk said 140 people were apprehended while attempting to cross, four of whom were affiliated with terrorist organizations.

Another 1,799 people were prevented from crossing the border.

Akturk added that 614 people “have been caught attempting illegal border crossings, while 8,181 have been stopped before crossing.”