Shafaq News/ Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan revealed that new operations would be launched on the southern borders (with Iraq and Syria) against "terrorism."

Speaking at a Justice and Development Party (AK Party) meeting in Ankara, Erdogan said, "the area extending 30 km deep along our southern borders is our security zone, and we do not want anyone to disturb us there. We are taking steps in this regard."

He continued, "We keep working on finishing the work in our security line on our southern borders through launching new operations."

"We destroyed the terrorist corridor on our southern borders through our operations in Syria and Iraq," Erdogan added.

In Syria, Turkey conducted military operations that specifically aimed to prevent the formation of politically autonomous regions along the Turkish border controlled by the Kurdish-dominated YPG militants.

These operations included Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), Peace Spring (2019), and Spring Shield (2020).

Unlike Syria, Northern Iraq has been the PKK's launching pad for decades. Thus, Turkey has a long history of cross-border operations inside Iraqi territory back to the 1990s.

As of 2019, Turkey carried out Claw-Tiger, Claw-Eagle, and recently Claw Lock operations.

Turkey has maintained a permanent military presence in Northern Iraq, sustained by a much larger chain of military bases and smaller forward-operation posts along the Iraqi-Turkish border.