ANKARA, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Türkiye "neutralized" four "terrorists" in an aerial operation carried out in northern Iraq, said the Turkish Defense Ministry on Tuesday.
The Turkish forces "neutralized" the members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the cross-border "Operation Claw" zone, said the ministry, without specifying the time frame of the operations.
The PKK members included Yusuf Kalkan, who was on a most wanted list by Türkiye on charges of being a "member of a terrorist group and establishing and operating a terrorist group," said the statement.
Turkish authorities often use the term "neutralize" in their statements to imply the alleged "terrorists" have either surrendered, been killed, or been captured.
The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States, and the European Union, has rebelled against the Turkish government for more than three decades.
Since 2019, Türkiye has initiated a series of cross-border military operations into the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region of northern Iraq, targeting PKK mountainous hideouts. ■
