Terrorists from the PKK and its Syrian wing, the YPG, are continuing to surrender, sources said Tuesday, as Türkiye has entered a process to achieve peace and lead to the PKK’s dissolution.
Security sources said that YPG/PKK terrorists surrendered as a result of search activities by Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) personnel, which continued also during Eid holidays in the Claw-Lock area, an operation field that encapsulates the Metina, Zap and Avasin-Basyan regions of northern Iraq, located near the Turkish border.
With the rupture of communication between YPG/PKK terrorists and their so-called leaders, the terrorist members have been stranded without food and water, thus choosing to surrender, the sources elaborated.
One of the terrorists told security forces that the terrorist organization is in a difficult position while leaders do not consider the conditions of its low-ranking members.
The latest surrenders come as PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan last month called on his group to lay down arms and dissolve in what would mark the end of more than four decades of the PKK’s campaign of terrorism targeting Türkiye.
The terror-free Türkiye initiative was launched last year by government ally Devlet Bahçeli. The Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) was a messenger for Öcalan in talks to realize the initiative. The PKK is expected to hold a "congress" this spring to announce its full compliance with Öcalan's call.
However, the terrorist group has set conditions, including Öcalan's release.
Ankara has so far rejected the demands, including the unilateral cease-fire announced by the group.
In its 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 over 40,000 people, including women, children, infants and the elderly.
Terrorists from the PKK and other groups, such as its Syrian wing, the YPG, and Daesh, rely on a network of members and supporters in Türkiye. In response, Ankara has been conducting pinpoint operations and freezing assets to eliminate the terrorist groups at their roots.
The PKK’s leadership is struggling to recruit both militants and higher ranks, according to reports.
In recent years, Türkiye has stepped up domestic operations and efforts across its borders against the terrorist group and convinced many members to abandon the PKK.
Protests by a group of families in front of the pro-PKK Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) headquarters in Diyarbakır demanding the return of their sons and daughters, who were recruited or kidnapped to fight for the terrorist group, have also helped increase the number of people surrendering.
