3 PKK terrorists attacking Turkish troops killed in northern Syria
PKK/YPG terrorists patrol in Hassakeh, Syria, Feb. 8, 2022. (AP Photo)


The National Defense Ministry announced on Sunday that three terrorists of the PKK terrorist group's Syrian wing YPG were eliminated in northern Syria.

"Terrorists who opened harassing fire received a response with retaliation," the ministry said on X. The ministry said the incident took place in the Euphrates Shield Area where Türkiye launched a military campaign to eliminate terrorists in the past.

In its nearly 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the U.S. and the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.

Ankara has launched a trio of successful counterterrorism operations since 2016 across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a PKK/YPG terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018) and Peace Spring (2019).

Elements of the PKK/YPG carried out an attack against the Syrian Kurdistan Democratic Party (SKDP) office in Syria’s Hassakeh and Qamishli on Friday, security sources said. The attack, carried out by armed assailants, set the office building on fire, causing material damage. The SKDP previously announced that it would boycott the upcoming "election," organized by the terrorist group, which targets all political parties that offer an alternative to their occupation in northern Syria. They aim to keep putting pressure on movements and parties and do not give them space to exist. The terrorist group is planning to organize so-called elections in Syria, a move viewed as void. A U.N. resolution adopted in 2015 by the U.N. Security Council, which the U.S. is also a party to, calls for a cease-fire and political settlement in the war-torn country and highlights that the only sustainable solution to the crisis in Syria is an inclusive and Syrian-led political process. It calls for commitment to Syria’s unity and territorial integrity.