The National Intelligence Organization (MIT) eliminated a so-called high-ranking terrorist of the PKK’s Syrian wing, the YPG, in a special operation.
According to security sources speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), the terrorist was Şahin Tekintanğaç, code-named “Kendal Ermani,” and was responsible for Syria’s Ain al-Arab.
Sources said that Tekintanğaç had been active in Ağrı, Kars, Van, Bingöl and Bitlis provinces and complicit in several terrorist acts.
Within the scope of the continued fight to eradicate terrorism, the Interior Ministry on Saturday launched the Eren-24 operation in Bitlis with the participation of 483 security personnel.
Last year, Turkey initiated Operation Eren, named after Eren Bülbül, a 15-year-old boy killed by the terrorist group on Aug. 11, 2017.
Turkish security forces regularly conduct counterterrorism operations in the eastern and southeastern provinces of Turkey, where the PKK has attempted to establish a strong presence.
Security forces also carry out operations abroad where the terrorist organization poses a threat. The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) regularly conduct cross-border operations in northern Iraq, a region where PKK terrorists have hideouts and bases from which to carry out attacks against Turkey.
The Defense Ministry on Saturday announced that 290 PKK terrorists had been eliminated within the framework of the Claw-Key operation in northern Iraq in three months, while a high number of military equipment belonging to the terrorist organization was also seized.
"Our Turkish Armed Forces, which eliminated 290 PKK terrorists with the Claw-Lock Operation launched on April 17, 2022, in the north of Iraq, also destroyed 330 caves and shelters that it detected and contained a large number of weapons, ammunition and life materials,” the ministry said in a written statement.
On the other side, as Turkey is fighting terrorist groups, the U.S. wished condolences to YPG terrorists that have lost their lives recently, in a renewed move confirming the ongoing support of Washington to the terrorist organization.
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on Sunday said that Salwa Yusuk, a so-called deputy commander of the YPG, along with two other female terrorists were killed in an attack near Syria’s Qamishli on July 22.
Wishing condolences on Twitter, CENTCOM reiterated that the YPG is a partner of the U.S.
The PKK is a designated terrorist organization in the U.S., Turkey and the European Union, and Washington's support for its Syrian affiliate has been a major strain on bilateral relations with Ankara.
The U.S. primarily partnered with the YPG in northeastern Syria in its fight against the Daesh terrorist group. On the other hand, Turkey strongly opposed the YPG's presence in northern Syria. Ankara has long objected to the U.S.' support for the YPG, a group that poses a threat to Turkey and that terrorizes local people, destroying their homes and forcing them to flee.
Under the pretext of fighting Daesh, the U.S. has provided military training and given truckloads of military support to the YPG, despite its NATO ally's security concerns. Underlining that one cannot support one terrorist group to defeat another, Turkey conducted its own counterterrorism operations, over the course of which it has managed to remove a significant number of terrorists from the region.
