Türkiye will do whatever is necessary to secure the country from terrorist organisations, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stated.
"We do not bow to those who try to corner us by using terrorist organisations. We do not hesitate to do whatever Türkiye's security requires," Erdogan told a crowd ahead of the Justice and Development (AK) Party’s 4th extraordinary congress in the capital Ankara on Saturday.
Recently, Türkiye has been conducting air strikes in northern Syria and Iraq to eliminate terrorist attacks against the Turkish people and security forces by “neutralising” PKK/YPG and other terrorist elements to ensure border security based on self-defence rights arising from Article 51 of the UN Charter.
The move came after Sunday's foiled attack in Türkiye's capital Ankara, in which a suicide bomber blew himself up in front of the Interior Ministry building, while another terrorist was killed by security forces at the entrance gate.
Two police officers suffered minor injuries in the attack on October 1. The Turkish Interior Ministry has confirmed the attackers' ties to the PKK terrorist group.
14 PKK/YPG terrorists neutralised
The Turkish National Defence Ministry said on Saturday that security forces “neutralised” at least 14 YPG/PKK terrorists in northern Syria.
Terror targets in the Euphrates Shield, Olive Branch, and Peace Spring regions were strongly hit by Turkish fire support vehicles on Friday night, the ministry said on X.
Turkish authorities use the term "neutralise" to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.
Since 2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across its border in northern Syria 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).
In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organisation by Türkiye, the US, and the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is its Syrian branch.
