ANKARA, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT) has "neutralized" two senior members of a Kurdish militant group in a cross-border operation in northwestern Syria, semi-official Anadolu Agency reported Wednesday.

The report, quoting anonymous Turkish security forces, said that Huseyin Ozturk, codenamed "Mazlum," and Vidan Fate, codenamed "Zelal Afrin," were targeted in an operation against the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in the Tel Rifaat region, without specifying the time of the operation.

The MIT identified Ozturk as a senior operative in Tel Rifaat and closely monitored him through its field agents. It also detected that Ozturk was working alongside Fate.

Ozturk allegedly joined the YPG in 1994 and played a key role in attacking Turkish security forces in Türkiye, Iraq, and Syria.

The man used to carry out "terrorist" activities in Iraq's Qandil, Gare, Zap, and Metina regions, several parts of Iran, and Türkiye's Amanos mountain range. Since 2015, he has been operating in Syria on behalf of the YPG.

Fate began her involvement in "terrorist" activities in Syria in 1990, and officially joined the YPG's rural ranks in 2000.

Türkiye sees the YPG as the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which has been listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States, and the European Union, and has rebelled against the Turkish government for more than three decades.

Turkish authorities often use the term "neutralize" in their statements to imply the alleged "terrorists" have either surrendered, been killed, or been captured. Enditem

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