ANKARA

Turkish intelligence neutralized a PKK/YPG terrorist group ringleader in northern Syria who was plotting attacks on nearby Turkish military units, security sources said on Friday.

The National Intelligence Organization neutralized Omer Abdullah al Dahham, codenamed Abu Dahham, in the city of Tabqa in the Raqqa Governate, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to media.

The terrorist, who was determined to be operating at a pseudo-responsible level for terrorist teams carrying out attacks on Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) base areas in the Operation Euphrates Shield and Peace Spring zones, was tracked and closely monitored by the MIT.

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

The anti-terror operation came in the wake of terror attacks last weekend that killed 12 Turkish soldiers in northern Iraq. Turkish airstrikes since then have destroyed dozens of terror targets in northern Iraq and Syria and neutralized senior terrorists.

PKK terrorists often hide out in northern Iraq to plot cross-border attacks in Türkiye. It also has a Syrian branch, known as the YPG.

Since 2016, Ankara 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 Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is PKK’s Syrian offshoot.

* Writing by Seda Sevencan