Two PKK terrorists ‘neutralized in N Syria’

ANKARA

Two PKK/YPG terrorists have been neutralized during an operation conducted in the Operation Olive Branch zone in northern Syria, the Defense Ministry has announced.

“There is no place for the terrorists to run,” the ministry said in a Twitter post. “Nowhere is safe for them.”

The Turkish army launched a trio of anti-terror operations - Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018) and Peace Spring (2019) - across the country’s border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents.

Operation Olive Branch was held in Afrin, Azaz and Aleppo in two phases between January 2018 and August 2019.

The term “neutralized” is used by the Turkish military and officials to indicate terrorists were either killed, wounded, or captured. The ministry ranks those included on the list in five color-coded categories from red (most wanted) to blue, green, orange and grey.

During its more than 35 years of the terror campaign, the PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the U.S. and the European Union, has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.