ISTANBUL - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Saturday the imminent conclusion of Turkish forces' operation against the Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq and Syria.

"We are soon locking down the area of operation in northern Iraq," Erdogan stated during the graduation ceremony of the National Defence University in Istanbul.

Türkiye launched Operation Claw-Lock in northern Iraq in 2022 to target the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) hideouts in northern Iraq's Metina, Zap, and Avasin-Basyan regions.

ALSO READ: Türkiye strikes Kurdish militants in northern Iraq, Syria

The president noted that the separatist organization is no longer able to carry out actions within Türkiye's borders, while in Iraq and Syria, it is increasingly cornered.

"In Syria, we will complete the missing links of the security belt along our southern border, based on Syria's territorial integrity," said Erdogan, referring to the Turkish army's operations in northern Syria against the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).

Since 2016, Türkiye has initiated several military operations in northern Syria, aiming to establish a YPG-free zone along the border. Türkiye considers the YPG group as the Syrian branch of the PKK.

READ MORE: Turkish drone attack kills 2 Kurdish militants in N. Iraq

The PKK, designated as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States, and the European Union, has been engaged in armed rebellion against the Turkish government for more than three decades.