Türkiye Strikes 71 Targets, Neutralizes 59 Kurdish Fighters in Syria and Northern Iraq

A photo published by the Turkish Ministry of Defense transporting the bodies of six of its soldiers who were killed in northern Iraq.
A photo published by the Turkish Ministry of Defense transporting the bodies of six of its soldiers who were killed in northern Iraq.
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Türkiye Strikes 71 Targets, Neutralizes 59 Kurdish Fighters in Syria and Northern Iraq

A photo published by the Turkish Ministry of Defense transporting the bodies of six of its soldiers who were killed in northern Iraq.
A photo published by the Turkish Ministry of Defense transporting the bodies of six of its soldiers who were killed in northern Iraq.

Türkiye has hit 71 sites linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the Syrian Kurdish (YPG) in Syria and northern Iraq during airstrikes launched this week in retaliation for the deaths of 12 Turkish soldiers in Iraq.

At least 59 Kurdish militants were killed in the strikes as well as in land clashes, Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler said in a video message to top military officials which was posted on X, formerly Twitter.

"As we have consistently emphasized, our fight against terrorism will continue until the last terrorist is neutralized," he noted.

Turkish intelligence reported Tuesday that Ankara has destroyed nearly 50 facilities belonging to the PKK in Qamishli, Kobane, and Amuda. Security sources said that the intelligence targets the infrastructure of PKK and SDF.

The intelligence operations have contributed to eliminating the threats near the borders and disrupting the operations goals as well as the PKK and SDF capabilities to carry out attacks against Türkiye.

During the past two days, the Turkish army has conducted drone raids against more than 20 vital military locations in Qamishli and Amuda.

Moreover, the Turkish Ministry of National Defense announced the eradication of four YPG members in an operation conducted by the elite forces in the areas of Operation Peace Spring and Operation Olive Branch in northeastern Syria.

They had attempted to destabilize the security in both areas.

As part of the retaliation for the killing of 12 Turkish soldiers, Turkish intelligence revealed Wednesday the killing of Zeynep Evri from the Workers’ Party - nicknamed Arin Ari - in an operation in Sulaymaniyah in northern Iraq.

Security sources told Anadolu Agency that Evri was responsible for “terrorist women activities” on the Iranian-Iraqi borders.

Evri was preparing to launch attacks on Turkish military bases in northern Iraq, according to the sources.

This is the third operation for the Turkish intelligence in Sulaymaniyah in three days.



Video Shows Last Moments for Slain Gaza Aid Workers, Red Crescent Says

This image grab from a handout video reportedly recovered from the cellphone of an aid worker killed in Gaza alongside other rescuers - AFP
This image grab from a handout video reportedly recovered from the cellphone of an aid worker killed in Gaza alongside other rescuers - AFP
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Video Shows Last Moments for Slain Gaza Aid Workers, Red Crescent Says

This image grab from a handout video reportedly recovered from the cellphone of an aid worker killed in Gaza alongside other rescuers - AFP
This image grab from a handout video reportedly recovered from the cellphone of an aid worker killed in Gaza alongside other rescuers - AFP

A video recovered from the cellphone of an aid worker killed in Gaza alongside other rescuers shows their final moments, according to the Palestine Red Crescent, with clearly marked ambulances and emergency lights flashing as heavy gunfire erupts.

The aid worker was among 15 humanitarian personnel who were killed on March 23 in an attack by Israeli forces, according to the United Nations and the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS).

The Israeli military has said its soldiers "did not randomly attack" any ambulances, insisting they fired on "terrorists" approaching them in "suspicious vehicles".

Military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said that troops opened fire on vehicles that had no prior clearance from Israeli authorities and had their lights off, AFP reported.

But the video released by PRCS on Saturday appears to contradict the Israeli military's claims, showing ambulances travelling with their headlights and emergency lights clearly flashing.

The six minute and 42 second video, apparently filmed from inside a moving vehicle, captures a red firetruck and ambulances driving through the night.

The vehicles stop beside another on the roadside, and two uniformed men exit. Moments later, intense gunfire erupts.

In the video, the voices of two medics are heard -- one saying, "the vehicle, the vehicle," and another responding: "It seems to be an accident."

Seconds later, a volley of gunfire breaks out, and the screen goes black.

PRCS said it had found the video on the phone of Rifat Radwan, one of the deceased aid workers.

"This video unequivocally refutes the occupation's claims that Israeli forces did not randomly target ambulances, and that some vehicles had approached suspiciously without lights or emergency markings," PRCS said in a statement.

"The footage exposes the truth and dismantles this false narrative."

Those killed included eight PRCS staff, six members of the Gaza civil defence agency and one employee of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, also known as UNRWA.

Their bodies were found buried near Rafah in what the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) described as a mass grave.

- Fear and prayers -

OCHA has said that the first team was targeted by Israeli forces at dawn on that day. In the hours that followed, additional rescue and aid teams searching for their colleagues were also struck in a series of successive attacks.

According to the PRCS, the convoy had been dispatched in response to emergency calls from civilians trapped under bombardment in Rafah.

In the video, a medic recording the scene can be heard reciting the Islamic declaration of faith, the shahada, which Muslims traditionally say in the face of death.

"There is no God but God, Mohammed is his messenger," he says repeatedly, his voice trembling with fear as intense gunfire continues in the background.

He is also heard saying: "Forgive me mother because I chose this way, the way of helping people."

He then says, "accept my martyrdom, God, and forgive me." Just before the footage ends, he is heard saying, "The Jews are coming, the Jews are coming," referring to Israeli soldiers.

The deaths of the aid workers has sparked international condemnation.

Jonathan Whittall, the head of OCHA in the Palestinian territories, said the bodies of the humanitarian workers were "in their uniforms, still wearing gloves" when they were found.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, condemned the attack, raising concerns over possible "war crimes" by the Israeli military.

"I am appalled by the recent killings of 15 medical personnel and humanitarian aid workers, which raise further concerns over the commission of war crimes by the Israeli military," Volker Turk told the UN Security Council on Thursday.

Turk called for an "independent, prompt and thorough investigation" into the attack.

An Israeli military official said the bodies had been covered "in sand and cloth" to avoid damage until coordination with international organizations could be arranged for their retrieval.

The military said it was investigating the attack.