Erdoğan vows to prevent terrorist 'structure' in northern Iraq, Syria

ANKARA

Türkiye will not allow a "terrorist structure" to form along its borders with Syria and northern Iraq, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Saturday, at an event in Istanbul.

His remarks came after six Turkish soldiers were killed and one was wounded in an attack by terrorists near the northern Iraqi border on Friday.

Erdoğan, extending his condolences for the fallen soldiers, announced that twelve terrorists had been "neutralized" in a Turkish operation zone in northern Iraq and northern Syria since the attack.

"Within the Operation Claw zone and in northern Syria, a total of 12 terrorists have been neutralized so far," Erdogan asserted.

PKK terrorists frequently hide out across the border in northern Iraq to plot attacks against Türkiye.

During its more than 35-year campaign of terror against Türkiye, the PKK  — listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the U.S. and the EU — has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.