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A Turkish soldier on Saturday succumbed to his wounds from a PKK terror attack in eastern Turkey, the military said.
In a statement, the Turkish General Staff said the soldier was wounded in a counter-terror operation in Ağrı province on Tuesday.
The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey as well as the U.S. and EU.
The PKK's over three-decade terror campaign against Turkey has killed some 40,000 people, including women and children.
A suspected senior PKK terrorist was arrested in the northwestern Turkish city of Edirne during an anti-terror operation, security sources said on Saturday. The suspect, identified as Yilmaz A. -- one of the heads of the Democratic Society Center in the French city of Marseilles, a pro-PKK group -- was nabbed at the Hamzabeyli Border Crossing into Bulgaria, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media. The operation was jointly carried out by the Turkish police and National Intelligence Organzation (MIT), helped by a tip that he might try to leave the country. Ramazan A., codenamed Sertav -- on the most wanted terrorist list of Turkish Interior Ministry -- is the brother of Yilmaz A., the sources added. Listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU, the PKK has waged a wide-ranging terror campaign against the Turkish state since the mid-1980s, in which an estimated 40,000 people have been killed, including women and children.
Suspected PKK terrorist arrested in western Turkey
Turkish and U.S. troops on Saturday completed their 35th round of patrols in the northern Syrian city of Manbij as part of a deal to rid the area of the YPG/PKK terror group.In a statement, the Turkish General Staff said forces of both countries conducted separate coordinated patrols in the region between areas liberated by Turkey's Operation Euphrates Shield and Manbij.Patrols by Turkish and U.S. troops in the region began on June 18.The Manbij deal between Turkey and the U.S. focuses on the withdrawal of the PKK-affiliated YPG terror group from the city in order to stabilize the region.In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK has taken some 40,000 lives, including many women and children. The YPG is its Syrian branch.Should the Manbij model prove a success, Turkey will push for a similar arrangement in eastern Syria.Turkey has said the presence of terror forces near its border constitutes a threat and has launched military operations and other efforts to rid the region of terrorists.
Turkey, US conduct 35th round of patrols in Manbij
The Turkish army and the National Defense Ministry remembered Friday the martyrs and veterans on the second anniversary of Operation Euphrates Shield.Two years have passed since the Turkish army’s Joint Special Task Force and coalition air forces launched the operation to purge the terrorist threat emanating from northern Syria. The operation was successfully completed in seven months.“We commemorate our martyrs and veterans with mercy and gratitude on the second anniversary of Operation Euphrates Shield,” the ministry and Turkish army said on their Twitter accounts.Euphrates Shield cut off the PKK/PYD/YPG terror groups' access to the Mediterranean Sea and eliminated threats posed by the terrorist group along the Turkish-Syrian border.In its 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK has taken some 40,000 lives. The terrorist PYD/YPG is the PKK's wing in Syria.Operation Euphrates Shield, which began on Aug. 24, 2016 and ended in March 2017, was aimed at eliminating the terrorist threat along the border in the northern Syrian regions of Jarabulus, Al-Rai, Al-Bab, and Azaz with the use of the Free Syrian Army, backed by Turkish artillery and air cover.More than 3,000 terrorists were also neutralized in the operation.Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralized" in their statements to imply that the terrorists in question either surrendered or were killed or captured.As the operation ensured Turkey's border security, it also cleared members of the Daesh terrorist group as well as the PKK/PYD from northwestern Syria.The operation also blocked a merger of the so-called cantons of the PKK/PYD/YPG terrorist groups along Turkey's border.Moreover, following the Turkish-led operation, tens of thousands of displaced Syrians returned to their liberated hometowns.
Turkey remembers martyrs of Operation Euphrates Shield
Turkey and Russia need to continue working together to pursue the cease-fire in Syria, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Friday, warning that a possible military solution in the northwestern city of Idlib would be a "disaster."Speaking to reporters in Moscow after meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, Çavuşoğlu said: “Preserving the de-escalation zone in Idlib, Syria is important in both humanitarian respects and the fight against terrorism."Stressing that more than 3 million civilians live in Idlib, he said: “A military solution there would be a disaster. It would be a disaster not only for the Idlib region but also for the future of Syria."“Separating the civilians from the combatants in Idlib is important for everyone, but a solution through force would lead to a new wave of refugees and a humanitarian catastrophe," he warned."A solution by force in Idlib would undermine the trust between Russia and Turkey as well as the trust of the cease-fire participants.""It is necessary to work in the Astana format on the [existing] cease-fire, it is necessary to work on promoting the political process,” he said, referring to the process that began in Astana, Kazakhstan.Representatives of the guarantor countries for the Syria cease-fire -- Turkey, Russia, and Iran -- will meet with Staffan de Mistura, the UN’s special Syria envoy, on this point in the near future, added Çavuşoğlu. The issue will also be discussed by the three countries' presidents in Tehran in September, he said.Çavuşoğlu also said the political process in Syria should be started as soon as possible.Stating that a list of member candidates for a constitutional committee was summited, Çavuşoğlu said: “Establishing a constitutional committee immediately is important for Syria’s future. We back this process.”The situation in Idlib is also set to top a meeting between the Russian and Turkish foreign and defense ministers and intelligence chiefs.Located near the Turkish border, this May Idlib was designated a “de-escalation zone” where acts of aggression are expressly forbidden.Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on protesters with unexpected ferocity.UN officials estimate that hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict.Turkish operation in Syria foiled PKK/YPG terror plotsDisplaced Syrians in Idlib mark Eid despite hardshipsVisa-free regimeRussia and Turkey have agreed to establish a mechanism to restore a visa-free regime between the two countries, Russia’s Lavrov also announced.Russia is ready to lift visa restrictions for the Turkish holders of special and service passports as well as for drivers engaged in cargo transportation between the two countries, Lavrov told reporters after meeting with Çavuşoğlu."We have confirmed Russia's readiness to hold talks on simplifying the travel regime for certain categories of Turkish citizens on a reciprocal basis, and we will do this in the near future,” said Lavrov.“We agreed to establish a mechanism for consultations on the development of agreements on this subject."Russia says all options on table for response to US sanctions'Strategic partner'Calling Russia a “strategic partner,” Çavuşoğlu stressed the importance of further developing bilateral ties with Russia. “We will both improve bilateral relations between the two countries for [providing] stability and economic development in the region and we will boost our cooperation on regional matters,” he said. Without naming any country, he said that some countries and individuals were jealous of Turkey and Russia’s close cooperation and friendship. Çavuoğlu also expressed pleasure at the growing number of Russian tourists visiting Turkey. “We will be very happy to welcome some 6 million our Russian friends to our country this year,” he said. 2019 will be declared the Year of Culture and Tourism between the two countries, Çavuşoğlu said, expressing hope that this will serve to attract even more Russian tourists. 
Military solution in Syria’s Idlib would be ‘disaster’: Turkish FM