ANKARA

Turkish security forces "neutralized" 15 terrorists in northern Iraq and Syria, the National Defense Ministry said on Friday.

The Turkish Armed Forces neutralized five PKK terrorists in the Operation Claw-Lock zone and the Gara region of northern Iraq, and 10 PKK/YPG terrorists in the Euphrates Shield and Peace Spring zones in northern Syria, the ministry added.

Turkish authorities use "neutralize" to indicate that the terrorists in question either surrendered, were killed, or were captured.

In its nearly 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK — listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and the EU — has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.