Turkish Defense Ministry said that its security forces have eliminated a total of 278 PKK terrorists so far in 2025.
Ministry spokesperson Rear Adm. Zeki Aktürk said,
“In the past week, 57 terrorists were eliminated in northern Iraq and Syria,” at a weekly press briefing in the capital of Ankara.
Continuous and comprehensive” counterterrorism operations are being conducted to eliminate threats at their source.”
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated that they might undertake a military operation against the PKK/YPG unless they accepted Ankara’s injunction for a bloodless shift in post-Assad Syria.
“We will do what’s necessary,”
Fidan stated.
Assad’s removal increased the prospect of Türkiye interfering directly in the nation against the PKK/YPG, which was behind a series of terror aggression targeting Turkish areas and civilians in recent years.
Ankara has expressed that PKK/YPG should remove terrorists from the group who joined from Iraq, Türkiye, and Iran, and they should depart Syria instantly. It has also proposed to take over the administration of prisons and detention centers holding IS members in Syria if the latest leadership were incapable of doing so. Currently, those centers are under the authority of the PKK/YPG.
Rear Adm. Zeki Aktürk reaffirmed the country’s dedication to opposing groups such as the PKK, its Syrian branch YPG and Daesh, stating, “No terrorist formations or unilateral faits accomplis would be allowed in the region.”
“Additionally, three PKK terrorists surrendered last week. We reiterate that surrendering to Turkish justice is the only viable option for terrorists,” the Ministry spokesperson stated.
“Türkiye will continue taking decisive measures against terrorist organizations threatening Syria’s territorial integrity and regional stability,”
Aktürk also said.
“We will maintain close cooperation with the new administration in Syria to enhance the war-torn country’s defense and security capacity and to facilitate the voluntary, safe and dignified return of Syrians.”
A panel from the ministry toured Syria for technical meetings, he added.
“As Türkiye, we will continue to stand by the Syrian people, as we have done so far.”
“Yesterday’s visit is significant as it marks the first delegation and the first contact from our ministry’s headquarters to Syria,”
he stated.
During the session, there was a reciprocal exchange of ideas on what can be accomplished in the fields of security and defense, especially on joint measures to combat terrorist associations that present a threat to both Syria and Türkiye. “Our discussions will continue in line with the needs that arise in the coming period,” the spokesperson stated.
The words come amid the tension looming over the future of the U.S.-supported YPG, which poses a direct danger to Türkiye. As the civil fighting escalated in Syria, the terrorist bodies Daesh and PKK/YPG appeared as significant threats, particularly in the country’s north. Worrying spillover of the brutality and in backing of Syrian resistance forces and civilians expelled by terrorists, Türkiye undertook a series of cross-border offensives into the land.
