Turkish soldier dies of wounds sustained in Idlib

ANKARA

A Turkish soldier died of injuries sustained in Idlib, Syria, Turkey’s Defense Ministry said early on Sept. 12.

The soldier was severely wounded on Sept. 11 in the Idlib de-escalation zone but did not survive despite the best efforts of doctors, it said.

It offered condolences to the family of the soldier, the Turkish Armed Forces, and the Turkish nation.

Since 2016, Turkey has launched a trio of successful anti-terrorist operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable peaceful settlement by locals: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).

Turkey targets members of the PKK terror group in northern Iraq and Syria. The group is responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of people in Turkey in recent decades.

The YPG is the Syrian offshoot of the PKK terror group and its members frequently attempt to infiltrate Turkish posts to commit acts of terrorism.

11 PKK terrorists neutralized in northern Iraq

Turkish forces neutralized 11 PKK terrorists in northern Iraq on Sept. 11, the ministry said.

Nine terrorists were detected and neutralized in the Operation Pençe-Kaplan region, the ministry said on Twitter, sharing footage of operations carried out by Turkish forces.

Two more were neutralized in an airstrike in Iraq’s Avasin-Basyan region, according to the ministry.

Turkey’s anti-terror operations will continue without any letup, it added.

Turkish authorities use the word "neutralize" to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.

PKK terrorists often hide out in northern Iraq, across Turkey’s southern border, to plan terrorist attacks in Turkey.

The Pençe operations are a series of offensives Turkey has carried out since 2019 against terrorist organizations in northern Iraq, particularly the PKK.

Operations Pençe-Kaplan and Pençe-Kartal were initiated in June last year, while Pençe-Şimşek and Pençe-Yıldırım were launched this April in Iraq’s Metina and Avasin-Basyan regions.