Türkiye has affirmed ongoing operations in northern Iraq and Syria to eradicate “terrorism” and its sources and to deter the formation of a terrorist corridor along the southern borders.
"We explicitly and unequivocally state that the Republic of Türkiye continues its fight against the terrorist organization PKK/YPG/KCK and its supporters with determination and resolution within the framework of its strategy of blocking and eliminating threats to its survival at the source," the Presidency's Directorate of Communications said following a security meeting.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan chaired Saturday's meeting at Istanbul's Dolmabahce Palace.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, National Defense Minister Yasar Guler, Chief of General Staff Metin Gurak, National Intelligence Organization (MIT) chief Ibrahim Kalin, and Erdogan's chief adviser Akif Cagatay Kilic attended the meeting.
According to the statement, 45 “terrorists” were neutralized after Friday's attack, of whom 36 in the north of Iraq and nine in northern Syria.
A total of nine Turkish soldiers were killed during the attack on Friday in the Operation Claw-Lock Zone.
"This struggle will continue until the last terrorist is neutralized and the terror reservoirs in Iraq and Syria are entirely wiped out."
"No matter who is behind a terrorist threat, camp, shelter, formation, or cluster, our primary priority is to permanently destroy it within the framework of our right to self-defense and bilateral agreements. The separatist scoundrels who subcontract Türkiye's adversaries are and will be held accountable for each drop of blood they shed," the press release reads.
Moreover, Erdogan called Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) chair Devlet Bahceli and nationalist opposition Good (İYİ) Party chair Meral Aksener to discuss the recent updates in northern Iraq and Syria.
Retaliation
Türkiye carried out airstrikes targeting Kurdish militants in neighboring Iraq and Syria on Saturday, destroying 29 sites of the PKK terror group, the Turkish Defense Ministry said.
The ministry said that aircraft struck targets in Metina, Hakurk, Gara, and Qandil in northern Iraq but didn't specify areas in Syria.
Moreover, a senior PKK militant was neutralized in Iraq. Faik Aydin was targeted in an operation by the Turkish intelligence agency MIT.
Aydin, codenamed Renas Raperin, was recruiting new terror members from Europe. In 2015, he moved to northern Iraq after carrying out terrorist activities in several European countries. He pressured the residents of Sulaymaniyah to support and join the PKK, according to security sources.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced police had detained 113 people suspected of ties to the PKK.
Escalation Against SDF
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that the Turkish state renewed its aerial bombardment of infrastructure and oil facilities within SDF-held areas.
Turkish warplanes launched several airstrikes targeting Aouda Oil Station in Al-Qahtaniya Town - northeastern Al-Hasakah - in addition to launching two airstrikes on an archeological area in Pakarwan Village in Al-Malkiya countryside - northern Al-Hasakah.
The Observatory reported that a Turkish drone on Saturday targeted the vicinity of Bashot Dam in the Al-Malikiyah district in the Al-Hasakah countryside, where columns of smoke rose from the area, causing material damage.
SOHR added that the areas separating the SDF-ruled areas from those of the Turkish forces and the Syrian National Army in the Peace Spring area witnessed an exchange of shelling after an infiltration operation carried out by members of SDF on a Turkish base in Ma’alek village in the Peace Spring.
Similarly, SDF fired rocket launchers at a Turkish base in Sayda village in Ain Issa countryside, along with artillery shells on western Tel Abyad countryside within the Peace Spring area.
Earlier, SOHR sources reported that Turkish forces and their proxies carried out a ground bombardment on SDF-held areas, where the artillery shelling concentrated on Saqr Rest, Ain Eissa camp and silos, and Alimat village in Al-Raqqah countryside.
Accusations Against Türkiye
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria strongly condemned the ongoing Turkish airstrikes on areas under its control.
Accusing Türkiye of attempting to manipulate regional events to further its agenda, the AANES alleged that Türkiye seeks to exploit regional developments to distract its public from its internal challenges and shortcomings.
