Burak Bir
12 March 2020•Update: 12 March 2020
ANKARA
The Turkish army "neutralized" 8 YPG/PKK terrorists in northern Syrian territories, the National Defense Ministry said on Thursday.
“Our heroic commandos neutralized 8 PKK/YPG terrorists, who were found plotting attacks on our troops in the Operation Peace Spring area,” the ministry said on Twitter.
Turkish authorities generally use the word "neutralized" to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.
Since 2016, Turkey has launched a trio of successful anti-terrorist operations across its border into northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable peaceful settlement by locals: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).
In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union -- has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.
