The Turkish military has eliminated 108 PKK/YPG terrorists, including ringleaders, in northern Iraq and Syria in the past week as Ankara maintains its pressure on the terrorist group.

Security forces eliminated 67 terrorists in northern Iraq and 41 others in northern Syria, Defense Ministry spokesperson Zeki Aktürk said Thursday.

"As of today, the number of terrorists neutralized since Jan. 1, 2024, has reached 953, with 443 in northern Iraq and 510 in northern Syria," Aktürk told reporters in Ankara at a weekly briefing.

The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) continue its fight against terrorism with determination, Aktürk stressed, saying the security forces are intensifying their efforts and applying increased pressure in its struggle against all kinds of threats and dangers, including terrorist organizations such as the PKK, its Syrian wing YPG, Daesh and the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ).

Aktürk also noted that 355 individuals, including five members of terrorist organizations, were nabbed while attempting to cross the border illegally over the past week, while 1,582 others were prevented from crossing the border.

"The number of individuals apprehended while attempting to cross our borders illegally since Jan. 1, 2024, has risen to 3,488, and the number of individuals prevented from crossing the border has reached 52,442," he said.

Terrorists from the PKK and other groups, such as its Syrian wing, the YPG, and Daesh, rely on a network of members and supporters in Türkiye.

Also on Thursday, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced that Turkish police caught 72 suspects tied to the PKK across 10 cities, including Istanbul, southern Antalya, eastern Mardin, central Eskişehir and eastern Hakkari province.

The suspects were charged with operating within the PKK, spreading terrorist propaganda at Nevruz celebrations, shouting pro-PKK slogans at funerals of PKK members and providing funds for imprisoned group members, Yerlikaya informed.

Authorities also seized dozens of unlicensed pistols, hunting rifles, digital materials and documents during the raids.

Continuous operations

About the increasing number of terrorists eliminated in northern Iraq, the security sources said: "We will continue our fight against terrorism with unpredictable, unconventional, rapid and continuous operations."

The sources stressed: "We are now in the phase of continuous operations."

The PKK took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984 and is designated a terrorist organization by Ankara and its Western allies.

Since Turkish operations have driven its domestic presence to near extinction, the PKK has moved a large chunk of its operations to northern Iraq, including a stronghold in the Qandil Mountains, located roughly 40 kilometers (25 miles) southeast of the Turkish border in Irbil.

Türkiye has, over the past 25 years, operated several dozen military bases in northern Iraq in its war against the PKK and has been conducting airstrikes as part of "Claw" operations since 2022 to demolish terrorist lairs and prevent the formation of a terror corridor along its borders.

Türkiye's cross-border attacks into northern Iraq have been a source of tension with its southeastern neighbor for years. Ankara has asked Iraq for more cooperation in combating the PKK, and Baghdad labeled the group a banned organization in March.

Last month, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held talks with officials in Baghdad and Irbil, the capital of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), about the continued presence of the PKK in northern Iraq and other issues. Erdoğan later said he believed Iraq saw the need to eliminate the PKK as well.

Ankara battled the PKK’s Syrian offshoot, the YPG, in the country’s northern regions and conducted a trio of successful counterterrorism operations there to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018) and Peace Spring (2019).

Palestinian issue

Expressing satisfaction over the first step taken by the Palestinian side toward peace, Aktürk urged Israel not to ignore this step and the rising voices of peace within itself and to commit to a cease-fire.

"Despite such a positive development, Israel, which has caused the deaths of 35,000 Palestinians, has intensified its attacks directed toward Rafah.

"We call on the international community to act responsibly and support this step to prevent further innocent lives from being lost and to avoid greater regional catastrophes by urging Israel to cease its attacks. Once again, we emphasize that achieving lasting peace in our region will only be possible through a just resolution of the Palestinian issue," he added.

Türkiye, which has denounced Israel for its offensive in densely populated Gaza and called for an immediate cease-fire, has sent tens of thousands of humanitarian aid items there since the start of the conflict last year.

Türkiye has been a virulent critic of Israel since the start of the conflict and a staunch defender of the Palestinian cause.