Ali Akbas was on the ministry’s wanted terrorists list with a bounty of 300,000 Turkish liras (around $57,000) on his head.
A wanted PKK terrorist with a large bounty on his head was "neutralized" in eastern Turkey, the Interior Ministry said on Tuesday.
Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralized" in their statements to imply the terrorist in question either surrendered of was killed or captured.
Terrorist Ali Akbas, codenamed Zinar Amed, was killed in operations carried out by counterterrorism and special operations units of the local police in the eastern Mus province on Tuesday, said the ministry in a statement.
Ali Akbas was on the ministry’s wanted terrorists list with a bounty of 300,000 Turkish liras (around $57,000) on his head, the statement said.
The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey as well as the U.S. and the EU. In its terror campaign against Turkey, which lasted for more than three decades, over 40,000 people have been killed, including women and children.
Turkey will not allow a fait accompli in Syria but will use its right to self-defense, Turkey’s national security establishment warned on Tuesday.In a statement after meeting in the capital Ankara, the National Security Council said that Turkey has always supported Syria's territorial integrity and political unity and stressed that the biggest threat to a political solution in Syria is the terrorist presence east of the Euphrates River.The statement also "strongly emphasized" that Turkey would not be indifferent to the terrorist PKK/PYD-YPG changing the demographic makeup in areas bordering Turkey through persecution and forced migration.4,000 Syrians return terror-free hometown in two weeksIt also stressed that Turkey will continue its determined fight against terrorism to protect its people from threats arising from terror groups along its borders with Syria and Iraq.The statement said that "some countries” failing to list terrorist groups such as the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FEÖO) and the PKK/KCK's Syrian branch the PYD/YPG as terror groups hurts counter-terrorism efforts.Turkey has long objected to U.S. support for the terrorist PYD/PYG, and has faulted both the U.S. and Europe for failing to do enough to fight FETÖ, the group behind a 2016 defeated coup in Turkey.Erdoğan urges Russia, Ukraine to resolve dispute through dialogueOn last month’s quadrilateral summit in Istanbul, the council stressed that the issues agreed on at the summit would contribute to peace in Syria and the region, as well as provide a permanent cease-fire by demilitarization in the northwestern province of Idlib.The summit held in late October was attended by the leaders of Turkey, Russia, France and Germany, who expressed their determination to end the bloodshed in war-torn Syria.“To find a lasting solution in Syria, a constitutional committee, working under United Nations observation, should be established as soon as possible,” the declaration stressed.Iraq's Sadr calls on prime minister to finalize cabinetIraq and CyprusThe National Security Council affirmed that Turkey would continue cooperation with the new Iraqi government in all areas, particularly security issues.The council also underlined that the Turkish Armed Forces would continue counter-terrorism operations against the terrorist PKK/KCK in Iraq.The council “reaffirmed that no development contrary to the rights and interests of Turkey or the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus would be allowed.”It also warned that unilateral moves in the region would not contribute to world peace, and urged consideration of Turkey’s determination based on international law.Turkish jets 'neutralize' 6 PKK terrorists in N. IraqIn early 2018, the Greek Cypriot administration unilaterally launched exploratory drilling activities for gas in the Eastern Mediterranean despite strong opposition from Turkish Cypriots, who argue that the island's natural resources should be exploited jointly to ensure equal rights for both parties.Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when a Greek Cypriot coup was followed by violence against the island's Turks and Ankara's intervention as a guarantor power.
'Turkey will not allow fait accompli in Syria'
U.S. President Donald Trump will meet his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during the G20 summit in Argentina, Trump's top security aide said Tuesday.The two-day summit that begins Friday will discuss trade, growth, climate change, gender equality, among other issues of global importance.On the sidelines of the summit, Erdoğan is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with other leaders and representatives of international organizations.U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton said Trump had no plans to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is under fire for his believed role in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi.Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, went missing after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.After initially saying he had left the consulate alive, Saudi Arabia admitted weeks later that he was killed there.White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said, however, that any interaction between the two leaders could not be ruled out."I know the president's schedule is pretty packed, and has a number of sessions that he'll be involved in," said Sanders. "Whether or not there is some interaction, I’m not going to rule that out."Erdoğan last held a brief meeting with Trump at the UN General Assembly meetings in New York in September.Founded in 1999, the G20 is composed of 19 countries plus the EU, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the UK and the U.S.
Trump to meet Erdoğan at G20 summit in Argentina