The Ministry of National Defense announced on Monday that five PKK terrorists were eliminated in Syria and another two in Iraq's northern area. "Nowhere is safe for terrorists," the ministry said in a social media post as it announced the terrorists as "neutralized" in Syria.

The ministry said those eliminated in Syria were preparing for an attack in areas cleared of terrorists by Türkiye in Operation Euphrates Shield and Operation Peace Spring.

Separately, the ministry said security forces eliminated two PKK terrorists in northern Iraq, in an area of Operation Claw-Lock where Türkiye maintains outposts for counterterrorism operations.

Turkish forces regularly carry out strikes in neighboring Iraq as part of the country's offensive against PKK militants. Since 2019, Türkiye has launched a series of operations in northern Iraq after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's declaration of "a new security concept in combating terrorism" and plan to "eliminate terrorism and terrorists at its source."

Following an attack in northern Iraq that killed 12 Turkish soldiers in December, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) stepped up their retaliation operations against the PKK in both northern Syria and northern Iraq.