‘Nearly 17,000 terrorists neutralized in N Syria since 2016’

ANKARA - Demirören News Agency

Nearly 17,000 terrorists have been “neutralized” in the Euphrates Shield, Olive Branch and Peace Spring operations carried out by the Turkish army in northern Syria since 2016, according to the information received from the Defense Ministry.

Dubbed Euphrates Shield, the first ground operation launched on Aug. 24, 2016, to neutralize terrorists in northern Syria and to ensure border security, neutralized nearly 6,000 terrorists, of which some 4,000 were ISIL members and 2,000 were PKK/YPG members.

On Jan. 20, 2018, Operation Olive Branch was launched in Afrin in northwest Syria, which was occupied by the PKK/YPG, and more than 7,000 terrorists were neutralized.

Separately, the Turkish army launched another operation dubbed Peace Spring on Oct. 9, 2019, against PKK/YPG and ISIL in northern Syria in a bid to “destroy the terror corridor that is being tried to be created on Türkiye’s southern border and to bring peace and tranquility to the region.” As part of the operation, the Turkish army neutralized more than 3,800 terrorists.