ANKARA

Turkish commando teams on Saturday launched a large-scale operation in northern Syria in response to the killing of a Turkish police officer by YPG/PKK terrorists.

Launched after the terrorists killed police officer Aytac Altinors on Friday, the operation was supported by artillery fire, the Turkish National Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry also emphasized that any kind of terrorist attack would be met with a heavy response and efforts to destabilize the region would not be tolerated.

At least 50 terrorists have been neutralized in the ongoing operations in the region so far, military sources said.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkiye, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the US and EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.

* Written by Ahmet Gencturk