Türkiye conducts air operations on terrorist targets in Gara, northern Iraq

Turkish air strikes have targeted terrorist hideouts in northern Iraq earlier this week, destroying a total of 31 targets and "neutralising" senior terror group members, according to a press release.

"In order to neutralise the PKK/KCK and other terrorist elements and to thwart terrorist attacks against our people and security forces from northern Iraq while ensuring our border security, air operations were conducted on terrorist targets in the Gara region of northern Iraq on Sept. 13-15," the Turkish National Defence Ministry said on Saturday.

The destroyed targets included caves, shelters, and caches used by terrorists, said the ministry, noting that some of these locations were deemed to be housing senior terrorists.

It underlined that a significant number of terrorists were "neutralised" during the operations, using domestically produced ammunition to the maximum extent.

The ministry added that the strikes were conducted in accordance with Türkiye's "right to self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter," and that "every precaution was taken to ensure that innocent civilians, friendly elements, historical and cultural assets, as well as the environment, were not harmed."

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organisation by Türkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.

PKK terrorists often hide out across the border, in northern Iraq, to plot attacks.

Over a thousand

Türkiye neutralised more than 1,180 YPG/PKK terrorists since the beginning of this year, including those hiding out across the border in northern Iraq and northern Syria, the National Defence Ministry said.

Turkish authorities use the term "neutralise" to imply that the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.

In Syria, all necessary measures are being taken to maintain security and stability in the areas of Türkiye's cross-border anti-terror operations, and terrorist attacks are responded to in kind, a National Defence Ministry official told reporters.

Since January, 165 harassment incidents and attacks have been carried out by the YPG/PKK terrorist group in areas of Türkiye 's counterterrorism operations, and 864 terrorists have been "neutralised" with the immediate response of Turkish soldiers, he added.