Turkish Army neutralizes six PKK member in KRI and Syria

Shafaq News/ On Monday, the Turkish Ministry of Defense announced the neutralization of six members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) and Syria.

The ministry stated in a post on X that “Turkish forces neutralized three PKK members in the Claw-Lock operation area in northern Iraq.”

Other three PKK members were neutralized in Syria, within the Peace Spring operation area in the country's north, the ministry added.

The term “neutralize” is commonly used by Turkish authorities to indicate that the individuals were either killed, captured, or surrendered during military operations.

No further information was provided about the exact location and the nature of the operation.

Operation Peace Spring, launched by Turkiye on October 9, 2019, and concluding on November 25, 2019, aimed to establish a "safe zone" by driving Kurdish forces away from the Turkish-Syrian border. During this time, Turkish forces and their allies captured key territories, including Ras al-Ayn, Tell Abyad, and sections of the strategic M4 highway, securing control over an area of approximately 4,820 square kilometers.

The Claw-Lock operation, launched by Turkiye in April 2021, targets the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the KRI, particularly in regions such as Gara, Hakurk, and Metina.

In addition, the Turkish Ministry of Defense revealed, in another statement that the army seized weapons and military equipment in a cave believed to be a PKK hideout in Hakurk, in the KRI. Items confiscated include one AT-4 anti-tank weapon, rocket launchers, hand grenades, rifles, electric detonators, materials used for making IEDs.

The PKK, labeled a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the United States, and the European Union, has been waging an armed insurgency against the Turkish government since the 1980s in pursuit of greater autonomy for Kurds in Turkiye. This prolonged conflict has resulted in tens of thousands of fatalities, prompting Turkiye to carry out cross-border military operations targeting PKK bases in Iraq and YPG forces in Syria, which Ankara considers offshoots of the PKK.