The Turkish Security Council announced that it is determined to continue its military operations in Syria and Iraq.

Following the meeting led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the council said in a statement that cross-border military operations carried out by the Turkish forces to eliminate what he described as "terrorism" happened with the goal of "establishing security and peace in the territories of the neighboring countries and Turkey," as per the statement.

The Council stressed that "Turkey respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the neighboring countries, but it will maintain its position on the issue of combating terrorism inside and outside of Turkey's borders."

"Our military operations to eliminate terrorist organizations along our southern borders and ensure border security will continue in the coming period," he said, explaining that all operations, including "behind the southern borders," will continue "completely and extensively."

Turkey carried out last February Operation Claw-Eagle 2 in the Gara region of northern Iraq, and Ankara said at the time that "the operation ended after we killed 50 PKK terrorists, and destroyed more than 50 of the terrorist organization's site."

That was preceded by Operation Claw-Eagle 1 that Turkey carried out in June of 2020 against PKK sites in northern Iraq.

In the same month, Turkish forces carried out Operation Claw-Tiger, against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq.