Hulusi Akar

Turkey has neutralized more than 100 PKK terrorists in Operation Claw-Lock, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has said, following the killings of five Turkish soldiers in clashes with the terrorist organization in northern Iraq.

Four Turkish soldiers have been killed and three wounded in clashes with PKK terrorists in the Operation Claw-Lock zone, the Turkish defense minister has said.

Naming the soldiers "brothers in arms," the Defense Ministry highlighted that four were "martyred" and three were "hospitalized" on May 24.

The European Union has finally started to see the Greek policy of pushbacks in the Aegean Sea, which has claimed many lives of asylum seekers, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on May 7.

Turkish and Russian defense ministers have discussed the humanitarian situation and the need for the evacuation of civilians from Mariupol in a phone conversation, the Turkish Defence Ministry announced late May 2.

Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu talked over the phone, the ministry said in a written statement.

Straight on the heels of the recent barrage of Turkish violations of Greek airspace, with flights over large, inhabited Aegean islands such as Rhodes and Kalymnos and the Imia rock islets (that led the two countries to the brink of war in 1996), and two strongly-worded Greek foreign ministry demarches to Ankara's ambassador to Athens, Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar unleashed yet another a

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has indicated that the cross-border Operation Claw-Lock that started on April 18 against the PKK targets in northern Iraq became a harsh blow to the terrorist organization.

"There are signs of downfall in terrorist organizations. There is fear and panic in terrorists," Akar said, speaking in the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa on May 2.

Some 19 PKK terrorists have been neutralized in the regions of the Operation Olive Branch and Operation Peace Spring, the Turkish Defense Ministry has said.

Posting a tweet about the latest operations against the terror organization, the ministry said, "Sixteen in the Operation Olive Branch zone and three in the Operation Peace Spring have been neutralized."

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has said the country is determined to put an end to the PKK terrorist organization, while highlighting that some 57 terrorists have been neutralized during the latest anti-terror operation Claw-Lock.

Despite mounting difficulties and growing concerns over the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, Turkey is still hopeful of a summit between Russian and Ukrainian leaders as a result of the continued mediation efforts by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey's defense minister has said. 

The third countries, particularly the NATO allies, should better not demand to send their warships to the Black Sea during the war between Ukraine and Russia, the Turkish defense minister has said, warning them not to turn the Black Sea into an area of competition.