Erdogan speaks on Turkey’s fight against terrorism

ANKARA, TURKEY - MAY 16: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at a fast-breaking dinner (iftar) for martyrs’ families at Presidential complex in Ankara, Turkey on May 16, 2018. Erdogan spoke about Turkish ongoing fight against terrorism both inside the country and in Syria and Iraq. A total of 4,456 terrorists neutralized in northwestern Syria since the Turkish military launched Operation Olive Branch on Jan. 20 to clear YPG/PKK and Daesh terrorist groups from Afrin, northwestern Syria, said Erdogan. Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralized" to imply that the terrorists in question either surrendered or were killed or captured. He also mentioned that Turkish forces had recently neutralized 403 PKK terrorists in northern Iraq and 345 across Turkey. On March 18, Turkish-backed troops liberated the Afrin town center, which had been a major hideout for the YPG/PKK terrorists since 2012. 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 the oppression and cruelty of terrorists. (Footage by Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)