ANKARA, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Turkish military has "neutralized" 13 "terrorists" in operations in northern Iraq and northern Syria, the country's Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.
The ministry said 11 members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) were killed in Türkiye's Operation Claw-Lock zone in northern Iraq.
In 2022, Türkiye launched Operation Claw-Lock to target the PKK hideouts in northern Iraq's Metina, Zap, and Avasin-Basyan regions near the Turkish border.
In a separate operation in northern Syria, Turkish forces "neutralized" two members of the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), said the ministry.
The YPG members were detected in the Operation Peace Spring zone of the Turkish military, said the ministry.
Turkish authorities often use the term "neutralized" in their statements to imply that the "terrorists" in question surrendered, were killed, or were captured.
Türkiye has been conducting cross-border operations in Iraq and Syria to target PKK and YPG hideouts.
The Turkish army launched Operation Euphrates Shield in 2016, Operation Olive Branch in 2018, Operation Peace Spring in 2019, and Operation Spring Shield in 2020 in northern Syria in order to create a YPG-free zone along its border within the neighboring country.
The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States, and the European Union, has rebelled against the Turkish government for more than three decades. Türkiye sees the YPG group as the PKK's Syrian branch. ■
