PKK ‘has no choice but to dissolve itself’ - defense ministry

The terrorist group PKK has no other choice "but to dissolve itself," the Turkish National Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

At a weekly press briefing, ministry spokesperson Adm. Zeki Akturk said: "It is noteworthy that the (PKK) organization has come to understand, albeit belatedly, that it has reached the end of its lifespan and that it has no choice but to dissolve itself."

He also touched on the country's cross-border anti-terrorist military operations.

"From the operations, a total of 26 terrorists have been neutralized in the past week, including in northern Iraq and Syria, while 478 terrorists have been neutralized since January 1," he stressed.

"Our Turkish Armed Forces will continue operations and search-and-sweep activities in the region for the survival and security of our country and will persist in the fight against terrorism with determination and resolve until not a single terrorist remains," he added.

Turkish authorities use the term "neutralize" to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.

PKK terrorists often hide out in northern Iraq to plot cross-border attacks in Türkiye, and its branch the PKK/YPG has tried to establish a terrorist corridor in Syria, along the Turkish border. In its 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK-listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and EU-has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, infants, and the elderly. The PKK/YPG is the PKK's Syrian branch.