At least 13 PKK terrorists killed in southeast Turkey

ANKARA

At least 13 PKK terrorists were killed in five separate counter-terrorism operations in four Turkish provinces Monday, Turkish military and provincial governor’s office said Tuesday.

According to a statement posted on the Turkish General Staff's official website, three PKK terrorists were killed in Mardin province’s Nusaybin district, bringing the total number of terrorists killed to 295 since operations there began.

Separately, four PKK terrorists were “neutralized” in another operation in Sirnak province, bringing the total number of killed terrorists there to 256, the statement said, adding that seven other terrorists also surrendered to security forces in the province.

Meanwhile, a terrorist was killed and two others were captured along with theirs guns in a clash in Hakkari province Monday, the military’s statement said. Hakkari Governor’s Office also said in a separate statement Tuesday that security forces killed a PKK terrorist and critically injured another one Monday when they were found planting improvised explosive devices on a highway in southeastern Turkey’s Hakkari province.

According to the governor’s statement, when gendarme teams detected the two terrorists planting explosives along the Hakkari- Cukurca highway, it turned into a gunfight as terrorists opened fire in response to the call to surrender made by security forces. Two rifles and two grenades were also seized.

The military’s statement added that five other PKK terrorists were also “neutralized” during a clash in Kars province’s Kagizman district Monday in another operation.

Also, two terrorists surrendered to the Turkish security forces in Mardin province’s Artuklu district and Agri province’s Hamur district, the statement added.

The PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the EU – resumed its 30-year armed campaign against the Turkish state in July 2015.

Since then, over 400 security personnel, including troops, police officers and village guards have been martyred and more than 3,700 PKK terrorists killed in operations across Turkey and northern Iraq.