Turkish jets hit 10 PKK targets in east, southeast

ANKARA

Turkish warplanes hit 10 PKK terrorist targets in Turkey's eastern and southeastern provinces late Saturday evening, security sources said.

Four PKK targets were struck by Turkish fighter jets in the Cukurca district of Hakkari province between 8.42 p.m. and 9.07 p.m local time (1742-1807GMT), said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.

Six terrorist positions were bombed in the Mount Tendurek region between the eastern Agri and Van provinces between 00.08 a.m. and 00.27 a.m local time (2108-2127GMT), the sources added.

Sources added that a senior PKK terrorist figure, Hakan Yeni, code-named “Mahir”, reportedly responsible for the Caldiran-Tendurek region was also killed during the operation.

Along with Yeni, a number of other terrorists were killed, the sources said without specifying the number of casualties during the operation which started four days ago.

Turkish security forces continue the air-backed operation, which began after intelligence that around a 40 or 50-strong terrorist group was present in the Mount Tendurek region.

The operation is still ongoing.

The PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and EU -- resumed its decades-old armed campaign in July last year.

Since then, more than 600 security personnel have been martyred and more than 7,000 PKK terrorists killed.

Reporting by Ozcan Yildirim, Cemal Asan; Writing by Sibel Ugurlu, Handan Kazanci