ANKARA 

Six YPG/PKK terrorists were neutralized by Turkish forces in northern Iraq, across the border, Turkey’s National Defense Ministry said on Friday.

The terrorists were neutralized in the Operation Pence-Simsek region in northern Iraq, the ministry said on Twitter.

Turkish authorities often use the word “neutralized” in statements to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.

The Pence operations are a series of offensives Turkey has been carrying out since 2019 against terrorist groups in northern Iraq, particularly the PKK.

The latest ones are the Pence-Simsek and Pence-Yildirim operations launched this April in the Metina and Avasin-Basyan regions near the country’s borders.

The PKK terror group often hides out in northern Iraq, just across Turkey’s southern border, to plot terror attacks in Turkey.

In its over 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 at least 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.