ISTANBUL

Turkish security forces “neutralized” nine PKK terrorists in northern Iraq, country’s National Defense Ministry announced on Saturday.

“Our heroic Turkish Armed Forces neutralized nine PKK terrorists targeted in the Gara region in northern Iraq through an air operation,” the ministry said in a statement on X.

The ministry also expressed Türkiye’s determination to eliminate terrorists, stating that operations will continue “until the last terrorist in the region is neutralized”.

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

PKK terrorists often hide out in northern Iraq and Syria to plot cross-border attacks in Türkiye.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK — listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, UK, and EU — has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.