Breaking News: Statement from the Ministry of National Defense on lieutenants! 'High Disciplinary Board process has begun'

MSB Press and Public Relations Advisor Rear Admiral Zeki Aktürk held a weekly briefing at the Ministry's Martyr Journalist Hasan Tahsin Hall.

Ministry of National Defense sources made a statement regarding the dismissal investigation into the lieutenants who chanted the slogan "We are the soldiers of Mustafa Kemal" at the Military Academy graduation ceremony.

Ministry sources provided the information: "The High Disciplinary Board process has begun. Once the meeting time for the HDB is determined, the relevant personnel will be notified at least 10 days in advance. This date will be announced to the public when the time comes."

"72 TERRORISTS HAVE BEEN NEUTRALIZED IN THE LAST WEEK"

Regarding the fight against terrorism, Aktürk shared the following information: "With the counter-terrorism operations carried out by our Turkish Armed Forces continuously and comprehensively at their source in northern Iraq and Syria, 72 terrorists have been neutralized in the last week. Thus, the number of terrorists neutralized since January 1 has reached 2,611. As a result of the operations and air strikes carried out to date in the Claw-Lock region, a total of 1,128 terrorists have been neutralized, 3,146 mines/IEDs planted by terrorists in the region have been cleared, 1,317 caves and shelters have been rendered unusable, and 2,408 various weapons, including 948 heavy weapons, as well as nearly 900 thousand munitions of various types and kinds have been seized."

"186 INDIVIDUALS ATTEMPTING TO CROSS ILLEGALLY HAVE BEEN APPREHENDED IN THE LAST WEEK"

Sharing information about border security, Aktürk said, "On our borders, where security is ensured with intensive and effective measures, 186 individuals attempting to cross illegally have been apprehended in the last week. 790 individuals were prevented before they could cross the border. 5 of the apprehended individuals are members of a terrorist organization. Thus, the number of those apprehended while attempting to cross our borders illegally since January 1 has reached 13,127, and the number of people prevented before they could cross the border has reached 90,479."

"WE ARE PLEASED THAT A CEASEFIRE HAS BEEN ACHIEVED IN LEBANON"

Making assessments regarding the ceasefire in Lebanon, Aktürk said, "Israel, which is escalating violence in our region, continues to kill women and children in Gaza. The inadequacy of the decisions taken in the face of these ongoing attacks by Israel, which has caused the deaths of nearly 45 thousand Palestinians to date, is evident. The international community must act decisively and take coercive measures to ensure an urgent and permanent ceasefire and to deliver humanitarian aid to the region. We are pleased that a ceasefire has been achieved in Lebanon, and we once again emphasize that the reached ceasefire must be permanent and that similar international initiatives must be intensified to ensure a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire in Palestine as soon as possible."

"WE HAVE TAKEN ALL KINDS OF MEASURES"

In response to questions about the activity of opposition groups in northern Syria, Ministry of National Defense sources replied, "We are closely following the activity initiated by some local groups in the region and the developments related to it. We have taken and continue to take all kinds of measures for our units."

Regarding questions about the closing of the lock in Zap, northern Iraq, Ministry sources shared the following information:

"Within the scope of the 'ensuring the security of our borders from the front and destroying terrorism at its source' strategy that we have been implementing since 2016, the Claw-Lock Operation launched in northern Iraq on April 17, 2022, has closed the lock of our Claw operations, and the security of our entire Iraqi border has been established from the front. As a result of our operations and air strikes carried out to date in the Claw-Lock region, a total of 1,128 terrorists have been neutralized, 3,146 mines/IEDs planted by terrorists in the region have been cleared, 1,317 caves and shelters have been rendered unusable; furthermore, 2,408 various weapons, including 948 heavy weapons, and 889,412 munitions of various types and kinds have been seized. Additionally, we assess that there may be caves, shelters, bunkers, and depots in the region under control that have not yet been entered. The lock has been closed, but our activities in the existing operational areas will continue. Despite the harsh weather and terrain conditions in the region, our units in the Claw-Lock Operation area will continue their duties with superior sacrifice and determination with the motto of destroying terrorism at its source until all terrorist lairs are destroyed and the last terrorist is neutralized."

Ministry sources also stated the following regarding the final status of all Claw Series Operations in northern Iraq, which also include the Claw-Lock Operation region:

"With the operation series in question, a total of 2,202 members of the separatist terrorist organization have been neutralized. In addition to this, a total of 5,239 caves and shelters have been rendered unusable, 6,220 mines and improvised explosive devices have been destroyed, and a total of 3,987 weapons and approximately 1 million 539 thousand munitions have been seized. Thus, a heavy blow has been dealt to the terrorists, and our determination to destroy terrorist lairs suddenly one night has been demonstrated."

Ministry sources responded to questions regarding the initiatives for NATO membership by Republic of Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides, who met with US President Biden:

"Turkey, as a NATO member country, reminds that the alliance's enlargement decisions are taken unanimously and advocates that these processes should be carried out by taking into account the national security concerns of any country. In the current situation, the Greek Cypriot Administration's application for NATO membership is an unacceptable development for Turkey. This initiative will disrupt the delicate balance on the Cyprus issue and negatively affect the negotiation processes for a solution."

"OUR REQUEST FOR 40 F-35S HAS BEEN OFFICIALLY CONVEYED"

Ministry sources responded to questions regarding F-16 BLOCK 70 / EUROFIGHTER / F-35 procurements as follows:

"In line with the needs of our Air Force Command, our efforts to include modern fighter jets equipped with advanced technology in the inventory and to diversify the inventory continue until our national aircraft KAAN enters service. In this context, the contract has entered into force with an initial payment of 1.4 billion dollars for the procurement of 40 F-16 Block 70s and specialized munitions, technical discussions are ongoing, and technical discussions for the procurement of 40 Eurofighters are proceeding positively. Our request for 40 F-35s has been officially conveyed to our counterparts. Regarding the F-35, there is also a payment we made previously and 6 aircraft taken into the hangar. However, for the first time, a NATO member country was subjected to (CAATSA) sanctions and delivery was not carried out. We have been saying from the very beginning that this sanction is wrong.

Our expectation is that our allies will make decisions in accordance with the spirit of the alliance and the common security perspective, and that all overt/covert sanctions will be lifted."

STATEMENT FROM THE MSB ON LIEUTENANTS

Regarding questions about how the process will proceed for the lieutenants and other personnel referred to the High Disciplinary Board (HDB), Ministry sources said:

"The High Disciplinary Board process has begun. Once the meeting time for the HDB is determined, the relevant personnel will be notified at least 10 days in advance. This date will be announced to the public when the time comes."