Defense Minister Güler Chairs High-Level Meeting on Counterterrorism and Operational Activities
The Turkish Minister of National Defense, Yaşar Güler, chaired a high-level meeting via video teleconference to discuss counterterrorism and other operational activities. The meeting saw attendance from top defense and command echelon officials. During the session, Minister Güler was briefed on the current status of counterterrorism operations and issued directives for future efforts.
In his address, Minister Güler highlighted the progress and successful operations in the fight against terrorism. He criticized the so-called local elections held by terrorist organizations in Arab-populated regions in Syria, presenting them as part of a broader plan targeting Turkey and the region, despite being framed as efforts against ISIS.
Minister Güler asserted that the Turkish Armed Forces would never permit the formation of a terrorist corridor along Turkey’s southern borders. He noted that recent operations had significantly impacted terrorist groups, leading to diminished activities both domestically and internationally, reduced revenues, failure to recruit youth within the country, and a loss of credibility among their so-called leadership.
The meeting also covered updates on the EFES-2024 exercise. Minister Güler informed that the exercise involved participation from 45 countries and around 11,000 personnel. He emphasized that the exercise featured complex scenarios reflecting the current security environment, underscoring the significance of participation and collaboration.
Concluding the meeting, Minister Güler extended his well wishes for the upcoming Eid al-Adha, expressed his hopes for successful assignments for the defense personnel, and wished them success in their future endeavors.
The source of this news is the Turkish Ministry of National Defense.