Public relations photos distributed to the press Feb. 22 overshadowed the realities of Turkey’s cross-border military operation. An image showed soldiers hoisting the Turkish flag exactly in the same manner and style as that unforgettable picture at Iwo Jima.

Another photo depicted Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu at the center of a table, flanked by the chief of staff and minister of defense, pointing at a map of Syria while watching an ongoing operation. The picture, taken at an underground operations center in the chief of staff headquarters in Ankara, was reminiscent of images of President Barack Obama in the White House operations room watching the Navy Seal operation that ended with the killing of Osama bin Laden.

Viewing such images, Turks — who have the reputation of living in a martial-spirited nation — woke up the morning of Feb. 22 with another victory achieved by their mighty and indomitable armed forces, as repeatedly boasted by authorities. It was learned that the Turkish army triumphantly completed a daunting military operation deep in Islamic State-controlled Syrian territory, returning home to Turkey with only one fatality — the result of an accident.

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu lauded the military operation by proudly stating: “Nobody should mess with the Turkish Armed Forces.”