Turkish Defense Ministry announced on Sunday that three PKK/YPG terrorists were eliminated by Armed Forces in Syria's north. The ministry said the operation took place in the Euphrates Shield area of operation in Syria. Terrorists were making preparations for an attack in the area, the ministry said.
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 over 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. The YPG is the PKK's Syrian offshoot.
Since 2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018) and Peace Spring (2019).
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan signaled a large-scale cross-border operation last month to eliminate PKK.
"We will protect our country from the ring of fire (in the region) through a security corridor across our borders," Erdoğan said in a speech in Şırnak, a southeastern province near the border with Iraq.
Turkish security forces regularly conduct counterterrorism operations in the eastern and southeastern provinces of Türkiye, where the PKK has attempted to establish a strong presence. Security forces have adopted "ending terrorism at its root" and "attack rather than defense" strategies through their operations across the country.
There has also been a surge in the number of terrorists laying down arms and surrendering to security forces following the series of successful domestic and cross-border counterterrorism operations.
Türkiye renewed its counterterrorism campaign in the past decade after a brief lull. In Iraq, it launched Operation Claw Sword in 2022 to eliminate terrorists hiding in the mountainous regions of northern Iraq. The offensive continues with occasional precision strikes and "retaliation" strikes against terrorists engaging in harassment fire or trying to infiltrate Türkiye to carry out attacks.
Also in March, President Erdoğan repeated Türkiye's resolute stance against any land being controlled by the terrorist group next door. "As we have openly told them in person, we call on all in the region to respect our security strategy. Otherwise, they will be the reason for potential tensions. We have made preparations that will cause new nightmares for those who assume they can bring Türkiye to its knees by establishing a 'terroristan' along our southern borders," Erdoğan warned in remarks after a Cabinet meeting.
