Turkey kills three YPG/PKK terrorists in northern Syria

As least three YPG/PKK terrorists were killed by the Turkish security forces in northern Syria, near Turkey’s southern border, the National Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.

 

“Our commandos will not allow passage to terror groups. Three PKK/YPG terrorists, who attempted to infiltrate into the Operation Peace Spring zone aiming to disrupt the peace and secure environment, were neutralized,” the ministry said on Twitter.

 

Turkish authorities often use the word “neutralize” to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.

 

Turkey has neutralized over 1,300 terrorists across five different operation areas since the beginning of 2020, National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said last week.

 

Since 2016, Turkey has launched a trio of successful anti-terrorist operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable peaceful settlement by locals: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018) and Peace Spring (2019).

 

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK — listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and EU — has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.

 

Also, Turkish and Russian troops on Tuesday carried out the 10th joint patrol along a key highway in Idlib, northwestern Syria, said Turkey’s National Defense Ministry.

 

“Within the framework of TUR-RF Agreement/Protocol, the 10th TUR-RF Combined Land Patrol on M-4 Highway in Idlib was conducted with the participation of land and air elements,” the ministry said on Twitter.

 

The M4 highway, also known as the Aleppo-Al Hasakah road, is about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Turkey’s southern border.

 

The ninth joint patrol was conducted on Thursday.

 

This March, Ankara and Moscow agreed on a protocol urging parties to “cease all military actions along the line of contact in the Idlib de-escalation area.”

 

The protocol said joint Turkish-Russian patrols would begin on March 15 along the M4 highway from the settlement of Trumba — 2 km (1.2 miles) to the west of Saraqib — to the settlement of Ain al-Havr.

 

Idlib has long been under siege by Assad regime forces and its allies, and previous cease-fires for the region were plagued by violations.

 

Turkey has worked to protect the local civilian population as well as rid the wider region of terrorist elements.