ISTANBUL

Turkish security forces “neutralized” three PKK terrorists in northern Iraq, the National Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.

The terrorists were targeted in the Operation Claw-Lock zone in northern Iraq, the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry vowed that the Turkish Armed Forces’ counterterrorism operations will continue unabated.

Turkish authorities use the term "neutralize" to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or 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. The YPG is PKK’s Syrian offshoot.