2,013 terrorists neutralized since January 1: Rear Admiral Zeki Aktürk announces

The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) weekly briefing was held at the Ministry's Martyr Journalist Hasan Tahsin Press Briefing Hall.

MSB Press and Public Relations Advisor Rear Admiral Aktürk, in his statement here, commemorated September 19 Veterans Day, the 103rd anniversary of the granting of the title "Veteran" and the rank of "Marshal" to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and the 106th anniversary of the liberation of Baku from enemy occupation on September 15.

Stating that TSK operations are carried out in accordance with the requirements of the field, based on unconventional, unpredictable, rapid, and continuous execution principles, Aktürk said, "Including northern Iraq and Syria, 50 terrorists have been neutralized in the last week, and 2,013 since January 1, with 1,017 in northern Iraq and 996 in northern Syria."

76,989 PEOPLE PREVENTED FROM CROSSING THE BORDER

Reminding that an air operation was conducted yesterday against terrorist targets in Hakurk, Gara, Qandil, and Asos in northern Iraq, Rear Admiral Aktürk continued as follows:

"24 targets, consisting of caves, shelters, and depots, which were assessed to contain terrorists at the leadership level, were successfully destroyed. In the air operation conducted, a large number of terrorists were neutralized using the maximum amount of domestic and national ammunition. Impact assessment of the targets is ongoing. At our borders, where the highest level of security is established with effective and high-security measures taken, 387 individuals, 12 of whom were members of terrorist organizations, were apprehended while trying to cross illegally in the last week, and 1,657 individuals were prevented before they could cross the border. Thus, the number of those apprehended while trying to cross our borders illegally since January 1 has risen to 10,478, and the number of people prevented before crossing the border has risen to 76,989. In the operations carried out on the Van and Hakkari border line in the last week, a total of 93 kilograms of narcotics were seized."

CALM WILL BE ACHIEVED WITH THE RESOLUTION OF THE PALESTINIAN ISSUE

Noting that Israel continues its brutal, total, and disproportionate actions against the Palestinian people, Aktürk said, "The whole world must be aware that Israel's ongoing illegal attacks in Palestine will turn into a global catastrophe. It is essential that Israel stops its attacks and a permanent ceasefire is achieved as soon as possible. The restoration of calm in the region is possible with the resolution of the Palestinian issue. We reiterate our call to the international community to recognize the Palestinian state, support the two-state solution, and ensure the delivery of uninterrupted humanitarian aid to Gaza."

PRESERVATION AND MAINTENANCE ARE MANDATORY

Ministry of National Defense (MSB) sources answered journalists' questions after the weekly press briefing.

Regarding questions about the images reflected on social media after the oath-taking ceremony held at the National Defense University (MSÜ) Military Academy on August 30, Ministry sources said the following:

"The process initiated regarding the images reflected to the public after the Military Academy Flag Handover and Graduation Ceremony is ongoing. The preservation and maintenance of established discipline in the Turkish Armed Forces is indispensable. As we have emphasized before, our Turkish Armed Forces view events within the framework of discipline and carry out procedures within the relevant legal framework."

EXPLOSION OF PAGERS IN LEBANON

Regarding questions about whether the TSK has taken precautions on this issue after the explosion of pagers in Lebanon, Ministry sources used the following expressions:

"In the Turkish Armed Forces, only domestic and national communication systems and software are used. In the event that a third party is involved in the production process in any way, our additional detailed control mechanisms are operated during the procurement and production process. Measures are reviewed and new measures are developed within the scope of lessons learned after all kinds of developments, both in the operations we carry out and in the war in Ukraine and the Lebanon example.

In this specific incident, we are conducting the necessary examinations as the Ministry of National Defense. Our Turkish Armed Forces have become much stronger in recent years in the fields of communication, information systems, electronic warfare, and cyber, with the support of Turkish engineers."

IRAN'S MIGRANT DECISIONS

In response to questions about whether the 2 million migrants Iran decided to deport would be sent to Turkey, sources stated the following:

"Deportation is the process of sending a person from the country they are in, through law enforcement, to the country of which they are a citizen, the country of transit, or another country. It is wrong to infer from Iran's decision to deport 2 million migrants that these migrants will come to Turkey. Our borders are protected by very intensive technological systems. Thanks to the intensive measures taken, the number of illegal migrants trying to cross our borders is at its lowest level in the last 5 years. We evaluate Iran's increasing measures regarding migrants positively. It is important to be careful against those who try to create a perception through disinformation on this subject."