Turkish forces crush terror tunnel network in Syria as border crackdowns intensify

The Turkish Ministry of National Defence has announced that the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) have destroyed a total of 580 kilometres of terrorist tunnels in northern Syria as part of sustained military operations aimed at neutralizing threats to national and regional security.

In a briefing, Zeki Aktürk, the Ministry's spokesperson, confirmed the scope of the ongoing campaign, which includes intensive search-and-destroy missions across terrorist hideouts in the operational zones of Tel Rifat and Manbij, Caliber.Az reports.

Savunma ve güvenliğimizin teminatı olan Türk Silahlı Kuvvetlerimizin ülkemize yönelik risk ve tehdit unsurları ile mücadelesi kapsamında son bir hafta içerisinde 1 PKK’lı terörist daha teslim oldu.#MillîSavunmaBakanlığı pic.twitter.com/y9hckWmeYy

— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) September 4, 2025

“During ongoing search and sweep operations in terrorist hideouts, shelters, and caves identified in the Pençe-Kilit (Claw Lock) Operation area, a large number of weapons, ammunition, and various materials were seized and rendered unusable,” Aktürk said.

The ministry also reported that another PKK militant surrendered last week after abandoning a hideout in northern Iraq, where Turkish forces have maintained pressure on terrorist elements. The surrender highlights the growing momentum of Türkiye’s counterterrorism campaign in cross-border regions.

In parallel to these operations, border security measures have intensified. In the past week alone, 326 individuals were apprehended while attempting to cross Türkiye’s borders illegally. Among them were four suspected members of terrorist organizations. Since the beginning of the year, Turkish authorities have detained 5,834 individuals for illegal border crossing attempts.

Efforts to combat narcotics trafficking have also yielded results. Security forces conducting search operations along the Van and Hatay borders confiscated 42 kilograms of illegal narcotics, further underlining the multidimensional approach of Türkiye’s national security strategy.

Regarding tunnel destruction efforts in Syria, Aktürk emphasized their strategic impact: “As part of the ongoing ‘tunnel destruction’ operations in Syrian operational zones, the total length of tunnels destroyed — including in Tel Rifat and Manbij — has reached 580 kilometres.”

By Vafa Guliyeva