The Ministry of National Defense announced Friday that 12 terrorists from the U.S.-backed PKK/YPG were neutralized in Syria’s north, using a term to describe killed or captured terrorists.
The ministry's statement, released on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, was accompanied by drone footage of several targets being struck in the region. The ministry said that with the latest operation, the number of terrorists eliminated in the northern regions of Türkiye’s neighbors Syria and Iraq since Thursday has reached 21.
Türkiye has retaliated against the killing of six soldiers this week by the terrorist group by launching operations in two countries where PKK/YPG operate.
The PKK, which long used Iraq’s north as the launchpad for its attacks against Türkiye, gained a foothold in Syria’s northeast thanks to strong support from the United States. The United States provides military equipment and training to the terrorists under the pretext of fighting against Daesh, another terrorist group, to the chagrin of Ankara.
Although the PKK lost its clout within Türkiye thanks to incessant counterterrorism operations, especially in the southeast where it exploits the Kurdish population to draw recruits, it remains a dire threat in Syria.
Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) occasionally carries out operations in Syria to eliminate top names of the terrorist group in precision strikes.
