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Türkiye resolutely continues anti-terror operations: President Erdogan

Türkiye neutralises as many as 81 PKK/YPG terrorists over the last week, following PKK terror attacks that killed 12 Turkish soldiers in northern Iraq.

AA

"Our red line is to uphold the principle of one nation, one flag, one homeland, one state under all circumstances, as this guarantees our national survival," Erdogan stressed. / Photo: AA

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reiterated his vow to resolutely continue Türkiye's anti-terror operations until the last terrorist is no longer a threat to the nation.

Speaking to local officials in the capital Ankara on Thursday, Erdogan said: "If terrorism has come to the point of ending within our borders today, the operations we carry out in Iraq and Syria are the key reason for this."

According to the National Defence Ministry, Türkiye has "neutralised" as many as 81 PKK/YPG terrorists over the last week, including those hiding out across the border in the northern areas of Iraq and Syria.

The recent anti-terror operations followed Friday and Saturday's PKK terror attacks that killed 12 Turkish soldiers in northern Iraq. Turkish air strikes, since then, have destroyed dozens of terror targets in northern Iraq and Syria and neutralised senior terrorists.

"Our red line is to uphold the principle of one nation, one flag, one homeland, one state under all circumstances, as this guarantees our national survival," he added.

"We continue our operations beyond our borders. We do not allow terrorists to tarnish our homeland with their dirty feet," Erdogan added.

Türkiye defiant against terror threats from northern Iraq, Syria: Erdogan

2,201 terrorists neutralised this year

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

A total of 2,201 terrorists were "neutralised" since January 1, ministry spokesperson Zeki Akturk told reporters at a briefing in the capital Ankara.

PKK terrorists often hide out in northern Iraq to plot cross-border attacks in Türkiye. It also has a Syrian branch, known as the YPG.

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).

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. The YPG is PKK’s Syrian offshoot.