"The striking moment from the press conference held at the Ministry of National Defense."

The Press and Public Relations Advisor of the Ministry of National Defense, Rear Admiral Zeki Aktürk, spoke at the weekly press briefing held in Polatlı, where the Fire Free-2024 activity was organized. Among the photos distributed related to the press conference, the image of a camouflaged Mehmetçik standing right next to the journalists drew attention.

Here is that photo frame;

2,149 TERRORISTS NEUTRALIZED

Providing information about the Turkish Armed Forces' counter-terrorism operations, Aktürk stated, "With the uninterrupted and resolute implementation of our strategy to eliminate terrorism at its source, 42 terrorists have been neutralized in the last week, and since January 1, a total of 2,149 terrorists have been neutralized, including 1,113 in Iraq and 1,036 in northern Syria."

Emphasizing that efforts continue to establish stability in Syria and to ensure the safe return of Syrians to a secure environment, Aktürk said, "On the 5th anniversary of the Peace Spring Operation, which was launched on October 9, 2019, to ensure the security of our borders and our people and to prevent the establishment of a terrorist corridor in the south of our country, we commemorate our dear martyrs who fought at the cost of their lives with mercy and gratitude, and we express our respect and appreciation to our heroic veterans."

78,000 PEOPLE'S ILLEGAL CROSSING AT THE BORDER PREVENTED

Rear Admiral Aktürk explained that multi-faceted security is provided with intense, effective, and dynamic measures at the borders, sharing the following information: "In the last week, 340 individuals have been apprehended, including 5 members of terrorist organizations, and since January 1, the number of those caught attempting to cross illegally has reached 11,679. With the 1,167 individuals prevented in the last week, the total number of people prevented this year has reached 80,802. Additionally, in the search and seizure operations along the Hatay and Van border lines in the last week, 103 kilograms of drugs have been seized."