GAZIANTEP, Turkey

A YPG/PKK terrorist in the town of Al-Bab in northern Syria was arrested by local security forces, officials in neighboring Turkey said Tuesday.

The governor's office in the Gaziantep province of southeastern Turkey said in a statement that local Al-Bab forces continued their efforts to uncover the armed terrorist group's activities in the town.

The terrorist, identified as A.E.A., was arrested in an operation conducted jointly by local security units in Al-Bab and the governorship, which provides the Syrian town with consultancy services.

Since 2016, Turkey has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and to enable a peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.

*Writing by Merve Aydogan in Ankara.