Turkish president vows to continue destroying terrorists

By Fatih Hafiz Mehmet

ANKARA

Turkey's president on Sunday vowed that his country would continue to destroy terrorists as Ankara did in the past.

"We went into the terrorists' den, destroyed and continuing to destroy them," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said indicating Ankara's recent counter-terrorism operations inside Turkey and in northwestern Syria.

Erdogan was speaking at his ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party meeting in Istanbul.

In the last two years, Turkey has successfully carried out two counter-terrorist operations in Syria -- Operations Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch -- to eradicate the presence of YPG/PKK and Daesh terrorists near Turkey’s borders, and a third one is expected, east of the Euphrates River.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women and children. The YPG is its Syrian branch.