05 February 2018•Update: 05 February 2018
ANKARA
A total of 947 PKK/KCK/PYD-YPG and Daesh terrorists have been "neutralized" since the launch of Operation Olive Branch in Syria's Afrin region, according to the military on Monday.
Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralized" in their statements to imply the terrorists in question either surrendered or were killed or captured.
In a statement, the Turkish General Staff said 12 terrorists had been neutralized in overnight airstrikes.
On Jan. 20, Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch to clear PYD/PKK and Daesh terrorists from Afrin in northwestern Syria.
According to the Turkish General Staff, the operation aims to establish security and stability along Turkey’s borders and the region as well as to protect Syrians from oppression and cruelty of terrorists.
The operation is being carried out under the framework of Turkey's rights based on international law, UN Security Council resolutions, its self-defense rights under the UN charter, and respect for Syria's territorial integrity, it said.
The military reiterated that only terror targets were being destroyed and that "utmost care" was being taken to avoid harming civilians.
Reporting by Sertac Bulur:Writing by Ahmet Sait Akcay
