Turkish security forces have eliminated a total of 278 PKK terrorists so far in 2025, the Defense Ministry said Thursday.
“In the past week, 57 terrorists were eliminated in northern Iraq and Syria,” ministry spokesperson Rear Adm. Zeki Aktürk said at a weekly press briefing in the capital of Ankara.
"Continuous and comprehensive” counterterrorism operations are being conducted to eliminate threats at their source, he said.
Aktürk reaffirmed the country's commitment to countering groups such as the PKK, its Syrian wing YPG and Daesh, saying, "No terrorist formations or unilateral faits accomplis would be allowed in the region."
"Additionally, three PKK terrorists surrendered last week. We reiterate that surrendering to Turkish justice is the only viable option for terrorists,” he said.
“Türkiye will continue taking decisive measures against terrorist organizations threatening Syria's territorial integrity and regional stability,” Aktürk added.
“We will maintain close cooperation with the new administration in Syria to enhance the war-torn country's defense and security capacity and to facilitate the voluntary, safe and dignified return of Syrians.”
A delegation from the ministry visited Syria on Wednesday for technical discussions, he added. "As Türkiye, we will continue to stand by the Syrian people, as we have done so far.”
"Yesterday's visit is significant as it marks the first delegation and the first contact from our ministry's headquarters to Syria,” he said.
During the meeting, there was a mutual exchange of views on what can be done in the fields of defense and security, particularly on joint efforts to combat terrorist organizations that pose a threat to both Syria and Türkiye.
“Our discussions will continue in line with the needs that arise in the coming period," the spokesperson noted.
The statements come amid the uncertainty looming over the fate of the U.S.-backed YPG, which poses a direct threat to Türkiye.
As the civil war escalated in Syria, the terrorist groups Daesh and PKK/YPG emerged as major threats, especially in the country's north. Fearing spillover of the violence and in support of Syrian opposition forces and civilians displaced by terrorists, Türkiye launched a string of cross-border offensives into the country. Those include Operation Euphrates Shield in 2016, Operation Olive Branch in 2018 and Operation Peace Spring in 2019.
Earlier this month, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that they may launch a military operation against the PKK/YPG unless they accepted Ankara’s ultimatum for a bloodless transition in post-Assad Syria.
"We will do what's necessary," Fidan said.
Asked what that might entail, he said, "A military operation."
Assad's ouster raised the prospect of Türkiye intervening directly in the country against the PKK/YPG, which was behind a string of terror attacks targeting Turkish cities and civilians in recent years.
Ankara has said PKK/YPG should expel terrorists among them who joined from Türkiye, Iran and Iraq, and they should leave Syria immediately. It has also offered to take over the management of prisons and detention camps holding Daesh members in Syria if the new leadership were unable to do so. Currently, those camps are under the control of the PKK/YPG.
The U.S. justifies its partnership with the YPG/PKK as a cooperation to fight against Daesh.
Syria's new rulers also raised the prospect of the dissolution of the YPG and their integration into the fledgling army of post-Assad Syria.
In an interview with Saudi Arabia's Asharq News channel earlier this month, YPG leader Ferhat Abdi Şahin, code-named "Mazloum Kobani," said their "basic demand" is decentralized administration.
The demand poses a potential challenge to Syria's new leadership, which wants to bring all of the country back under the government's authority after ousting Bashar Assad last month. Şahin indicated that they had no intention of dissolving, saying it was open to linking with the Defense Ministry and operating according to its rules but as "a military bloc."
