site.btaTurkish Military Neutralize 15 PKK Fighters in Syria, Iraq

Fifteen fighters from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) were neutralized during Turkish military operations in northern Syria and northern Iraq, Turkiye’s Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday on the social media platform X.

The statement specified that two Kurdish fighters were neutralized in the Gara region of Northern Iraq, while 13 PKK/YPG (Kurdistan Workers' Party/People's Protection Units) militants were eliminated in areas where Turkiye conducted its anti-terror operations Euphrates Shield and Peace Spring in northern Syria.

"We will continue conducting unpredictable, swift, and relentless operations to eradicate terrorism," the Ministry's statement said.

According to Turkish authorities, the PKK, which is designated as a terrorist organization, is linked to the Syrian Kurdish forces known as the People’s Protection Units (YPG). 

The PKK has been waging an armed insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984 and is recognized as a terrorist organization by Ankara, the European Union, and the United States. The group has bases in northern Iraq and is active in northern Syria.

Earlier in January, prominent lawyer Firat Epozdemir, a board member of the Istanbul Bar Association, was detained at Istanbul Airport on suspicion of links to the PKK, according to the Gazete Oksijen opposition outlet.