STORY: Türkiye to end military operations in N. Iraq, Syria soon: Erdogan
SHOOTING TIME: July 13, 2024
DATELINE: July 14, 2024
LENGTH: 00:00:54
LOCATION: ISTANBUL, Türkiye
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of National Defense University graduation ceremony
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Turkish): RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, Turkish President
3. various of National Defense University graduation ceremony
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Turkish): RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, Turkish President
5. various of National Defense University graduation ceremony

STORYLINE:

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Saturday the imminent conclusion of Turkish forces' operation against the Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq and Syria.

Erdogan made the announcement during the graduation ceremony of the National Defence University in Istanbul.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Turkish): RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, Turkish President
"We are soon locking down the area of operation in northern Iraq."

Türkiye launched Operation Claw-Lock in northern Iraq in 2022 to target the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) hideouts in northern Iraq's Metina, Zap, and Avasin-Basyan regions.

The president noted that the separatist organization is no longer able to carry out actions within Türkiye's borders, while in Iraq and Syria, it is increasingly cornered.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Turkish): RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, Turkish President
"In Syria, we will complete the missing links of the security belt along our southern border, based on Syria's territorial integrity."

Since 2016, Türkiye has initiated several military operations in northern Syria, aiming to establish a YPG-free zone along the border. Türkiye considers the YPG group, the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units, as the Syrian branch of the PKK.

The PKK, designated as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States, and the European Union, has been engaged in armed rebellion against the Turkish government for more than three decades.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Istanbul, Türkiye.
(XHTV)