Turkish military kills 13 'terrorists' in Iraq, Syria: Ministry

Ankara, Oct 2 (IANS) The Turkish military has "neutralised" 13 "terrorists" in operations in northern Iraq and northern Syria, the country's Defence Ministry has said.

The ministry said that 11 members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) were killed in Turkey's Operation Claw-Lock in northern Iraq.

In 2022, Turkey launched Operation Claw-Lock to target the PKK hideouts in northern Iraq's Metina, Zap, and Avasin-Basyan regions near the Turkish border, Xinhua news agency reported.

In a separate operation in northern Syria, Turkish forces "neutralised" 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 "neutralised" in their statements to imply that the "terrorists" in question surrendered, were killed, or were captured.

Turkey 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 to create a YPG-free zone along its border with the neighbouring country.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union, has rebelled against the Turkish government for more than three decades. Turkey sees the YPG group as the PKK's Syrian branch.