Türkiye reports neutralisation of over 2,000 terrorists since early 2024

Since January 1, 2024, the Turkish army has neutralised 2,013 terrorists in the region, according to the country's Defence Ministry spokesperson Zeki Aktürk.

Irak ve Suriye’nin kuzeyi dâhil; son bir haftada 50, 1 Ocak’tan bugüne kadar ise 2 bin 13 terörist etkisiz hâle getirilmiştir.#MillîSavunmaBakanlığı pic.twitter.com/BQN27FZ6zM

— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) September 19, 2024

“Over the past two weeks, Turkish forces have neutralised 50 terrorists, including those in Iraq and northern Syria. This brings the total number of terrorists neutralised since January 1, 2024, to 2,013, with 1,017 of them in northern Iraq and 996 in northern Syria,” Caliber.Az quotes Aktürk as saying on his X page.

According to high military official, many terrorists were neutralised using maximum domestic and national ammunition.

“In addition, during an air operation carried out against terrorist targets in Hakurk, Gara, Qandil, and Asos in northern Iraq, 24 targets, including caves, shelters, hideouts, depots, and facilities used by the separatist organisation, were destroyed on September 18. The assessment of the operation's impact on the targets is ongoing,” Aktürk noted.

Notably, PKK has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, infants, and the elderly, during its 40-year-long campaign of terror against the Turkish state. Its Syrian offshoot, the YPG, took advantage of the power vacuum caused by the Syrian civil war to seize control of oil and gas-rich territories, establishing a self-proclaimed entity in northeastern Syria.

Both the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and Turkish intelligence services frequently carry out strikes in areas controlled by the PKK/YPG.

Türkiye now controls two large stretches of land along the border after driving out PKK/YPG forces in a series of military operations. Ankara has stated that its goal is to establish a security buffer along its borders with Syria and Iraq, and to disrupt the connection between YPG and PKK strongholds in northern Iraq’s Qandil region.