File photo
A Turkish Armed Forces airstrike neutralized seven terrorists in northern Iraq, the military said Thursday.
Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralized" in their statements to imply that the terrorists in question either surrendered or were killed or captured.
In a briefing, the Turkish Armed Forces said one airstrike was carried out in the Metina region, neutralizing two terrorists reportedly plotting an attack on military bases.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) terrorists have accelerated efforts to transfer weapons received from the U.S. under the pretext of fighting Daesh to Syria’s northeastern town of Tal Abyad. The shipments have escalated particularly over the last two days, after Turkey started to shell PKK/YPG terror positions in the city and the east of the Euphrates River on Tuesday.A commander of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) Colonel İmed Said Dede spoke exclusively to Yeni Şafak daily and evaluated the details of the terrorist activities and Turkey’s sweeping operation in the region, stating that if even a single Turkish soldier crosses the border, PKK terrorists will swiftly flee to Syria’s Resulayn.Turkish forces nab five PKK terrorists alive in bomb-laden vehicleLocals resist PKK occupationNoting the rage of tribes against PKK terrorists in the region, Dede said, “If the U.S. insists on keeping - PKK terrorists under its tutelage, it means that they are committing an offense. The U.S. cannot back this terror organization despite public’s upsurge of wrath and backlash against invasions.”He also stated that PKK terrorists stow weapons in locals’ houses and underground tunnels.“There are two U.S. military bases in the region located in Tel Abyad-Tel Semin and in the southern part of Ayn Isa. Additionally, France has two military bases in Sirrin and Çelebi. American and French troops should withdraw after the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) and Free Syrian Army (FSA) initiate the military operation. They can’t continue to support a terror structure against the will of millions of Syrians and a legitimized government,” Dede said.The U.S. has supplied the PYD terror organization and its armed wing, the YPG, with thousands of truckloads of weapons to allegedly use in the fight against Daesh, despite Ankara’s warnings that the fact they are the Syrian offshoots of the PKK terror organization.PKK/YPG digging trenches in Manbij despite withdrawal promise: DefMinUS concerned over Turkish shelling of PKK/YPG positionsUS evades answer on who controls Syria's Tal Abyad
PKK terrorists accelerate weapons deliveries to Syria’s Tal Abyad as Turkey begins strikes
In a separate briefing, the Turkish Armed Forces said that another five terrorists were neutralized in air-backed operations in the Gara and Zap regions.
During the operations, weapon pits, shelters, and ammunition depots used by the terrorist group were also destroyed, the statements added.
Turkish airstrikes in this region usually target PKK terrorists.
In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people.
The PKK/PYD/YPG terror group should know that they would be buried in their own trenches in Syria's Manbij region, Turkey's national defense minister said on Thursday."The terror group is digging ditches in Manbij as they have done in Afrin, despite promises made for PKK/PYD/YPG's withdrawal from Manbij," Hulusi Akar told lawmakers in the planning and budget commission at the parliament. "The terror group [YPG/PKK] should know that it will be buried in the trenches it has dug," he said.Akar added that Turkey still faces terror threats as Iraqi and Kurdish regional governments have not taken effective steps against PKK in northern Iraq.Turkish forces nab five PKK terrorists alive in bomb-laden vehicle"In this regard, our operations will continue until the terror threat from Iraqi territories is defeated," said Akar.The Manbij deal between Turkey and the U.S. focuses on the withdrawal of YPG/PKK terrorists from the city to stabilize the region in the northeast of Aleppo province in northern Syria.In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the death of some 40,000 people, including women and children. The YPG is its Syrian branch.US evades answer on who controls Syria's Tal AbyadFETÖAkar also said that Turkey dismissed a total of 15,153 army personnel over their links to Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) since the defeated coup attempt in 2016, of whom 323 were reinstated following dismissal.According to the Turkish government, FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.Ankara also accuses FETÖ of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.Since the failed coup, operations have been ongoing in the military, police and judiciary as well as in state institutions across the country to arrest suspects with alleged links to FETÖ.Turkish ship to drill for oil and gas in Mediterranean: ministerTurkey, guarantor of peace in Cyprus islandAkar said that Turkey would never allow any step or fait accompli in Cyprus, Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean."Our interlocutors should know that any project without Turkey and Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the Aegean and the Mediterranean will not be successful," said Akar.Akar also called on the actors in the eastern Mediterranean region to stop provocation that "will put the region at risk".On Oct. 18, the Turkish navy prevented a Greek frigate from interfering in the activity of the Barbaros Hayrettin Pasa, a Turkish seismic and drilling vessel working in the Eastern Mediterranean.The activity, which had been announced by Turkish authorities, met with Greek interference.Turkey has consistently contested the Greek Cypriot administration’s unilateral drilling activity in the Eastern Mediterranean, saying Turkish Cypriots also have rights to the resources in the area.Akar stressed that Turkish forces would continue to protect Turkey’s and Turkish Cypriots' rights in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean."Turkish Armed Forces will continue to be the guarantor of peace and security in Cyprus island in accordance with international warranty and alliance agreements," he added.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.It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including the latest initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Turkey, Greece and the U.K. collapsing in 2017.Turkey blames Greek Cypriot intransigence for the talks' failure, also faulting the European Union for admitting Cyprus as a divided island into the union in 2004 after Greek Cypriot voters rejected a peace deal.On the purchase of S-400, Akar said: "We have reached a certain point in the process for the supplying of S-400 systems from the Russian Federation in order to meet our urgent air defense system needs as soon as possible.""With these systems which are expected to be delivered in 2019, our country will have gained a significant air defense talent," he added.
'PKK/YPG will be buried in its own trenches in Manbij'