ANKARA

Turkey continues to extend a helping hand to people in northern Syria, which was cleared of YPG/PKK terrorists after Operation Peace Spring, the National Defense Ministry said on Monday.

“The heroic #Mehmetçik [Turkish soldiers] continue to extend Turkey’s helping hand to the Peace Spring region which they cleansed from terrorism,” the ministry tweeted.

The soldiers distributed clothing to the people in need, and gave wheelchairs to six locals with disabilities, it added.

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

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the PKK's Syrian offshoot.