Shafaq News/ Turkish forces neutralized nine members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Syria, the Defense Ministry said on Sunday, while releasing footage of a PKK hideout in northern Iraq.

The term "neutralize" is commonly used by Turkish authorities to indicate that the individuals were either killed, captured, or surrendered during military operations.

In a statement, the ministry said the “terrorists were targeted in the Euphrates Shield and Peace Spring regions of northern Syria.”

In a separate statement, it detailed a search and sweep operation in the Claw-Lock zone in northern Iraq, during which Turkish forces seized military equipment and supplies from a PKK cave comprising multiple sections.

This month, Turkiye ramped up operations against the PKK. On November 23, the Defense Ministry reported neutralizing seven PKK/YPG members in northern Syria and Iraq. Days earlier, on November 17, eight PKK fighters were neutralized during operations in the Olive Branch, Peace Spring, and Claw-Lock zones.

Since the start of 2024, more than 1,100 PKK members have been neutralized in operations across northern Iraq and Syria, according to Defense Ministry spokesperson Zeki Aktürk.

The American organization Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) reported that Turkish forces conducted nearly 1,000 attacks and bombings within the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) in the first half of 2024.

Kamran Osman, the organization's human rights officer, said, "Between January and June 2024, Turkiye carried out 833 attacks and bombardments in KRI, including 365 in Duhok, 356 in Erbil, 102 in al-Sulaymaniyah, and 10 in Nineveh."

The PKK is classified as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the United States, and the European Union.