Turkey launched a new anti-terror operation in its eastern Bingol province, involving upwards of 1,000 personnel, the Turkish Interior Ministry announced on March 23rd.
The ministry said Operation Trap-9 Karer aimed at neutralizing terrorists hiding throughout Bingol.
Some 68 operational teams from Gendarmerie Special Operations, special forces from police and security units have been established for the action.
No specific group was mentioned, but the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) are reportedly active in Eastern Turkey, thus it is almost certain that it is against Kurdish groups.
Meanwhile, Turkey’s operation against PKK in Syria and Iraq are on-going.
The counter-terrorism operations will continue without any let-up, the ministry added.
Separately, Turkish commandos neutralized three YPG/PKK terrorists in northwestern Syria.
“Three PKK/YPG terrorists attempting to infiltrate the Operation Peace Spring zone were successfully neutralized by our heroic command,” the ministry said on Twitter.
Since 2016, Turkey has launched a trio of reportedly successful anti-terrorist operations across its border into northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable peaceful settlement by locals: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).
The Turkish defense ministry also released footage purportedly showing an operation in Iraq’s Hakurk province, which reportedly left 5 PKK members dead.
Videos and footage that show very little, but are supposedly evidence of a success by Turkish troops are frequently released by the Turkish ministry of Defense.
All of them are supported by claims of several PKK members being “neutralized”.
