Some 794 terrorists were eliminated in 320 operations since the beginning of the year, the Defense Ministry said Thursday.

"As of Jan. 1, 320 operations, 19 large and 301 medium-scale have been carried out in northern Iraq and Syria, and 794 terrorists have been eliminated, 21 of which took place last week. Since July 24, 2015, 38,137 terrorists have been eliminated, including in the north of Iraq and Syria," the ministry said.

All of Türkiye's operations against the terrorist threat are carried out in line with international law, respecting the borders and territorial integrity of all its neighbors, especially Iraq, within the scope of the right of self-defense and targeting only terrorist elements in the region, an official said, referring to operations targeting terrorist hideouts over the border

"Our army is fighting with great devotion to contribute to the peace and security of our country and the peace and stability of our region, the world and all humanity against all terrorist organizations," said the official, citing in particular the YPG/PKK, Daesh, and the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ).

In its over 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women and children.

The TSK regularly conducts cross-border operations in northern Iraq, a region where PKK terrorists have hideouts and bases, from where they carry out attacks in Türkiye.

Türkiye launched Operation Claw-Lock last year in April to target the PKK terrorist group's hideouts in the Metina, Zap and Avasin-Basyan regions of northern Iraq, located near the Turkish border.

It was preceded by two operations – Claw-Tiger and Claw-Eagle – launched in 2020 to root out terrorists hiding out in northern Iraq and plotting cross-border attacks in Türkiye.

Türkiye has long been stressing that it will not tolerate terrorist threats against its national security and has called on Iraqi officials to take the necessary steps to eliminate the terrorist group. Ankara previously noted that it would not shy away from targeting terrorist threats if the expected steps were not taken.

The ministry further underlined that Türkiye’s border security was ensured 7/24 to fight trafficking, illegal crossings, irregular migration as well as terrorists.

"Thanks to additional and effective measures taken, 46 people who tried to cross our borders illegally were caught last week. Three of them were terrorists, one of which is a member of FETÖ. 2,561 people were blocked before they could cross the border. As of Jan. 1, 3,736 people trying to cross our borders illegally have been caught. About 268 of these individuals were terrorists, 174 of them being FETÖ members," the statement said.