Fatma Bülbül
20 October 2017•Update: 20 October 2017
By Duygu Yener
ANKARA
Three PKK terrorists were killed in an air operation in northern Iraq, the Turkish military announced Friday.
In a statement, the Turkish General Staff said the air operation was carried out in northern Iraq's Zap region on Thursday as part of ongoing counterterrorism operations.
Later on Friday, the Turkish Armed Forces also announced that nine terrorists planning an attack were also killed in the Zap region.
Airstrikes on PKK targets in southeast Turkey and northern Iraq, where the terror group has its main base in the Mt. Qandil region near the Iranian border, have been carried out regularly since July 2015, when the PKK resumed its armed campaign.
The PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the EU and U.S. -- has killed more than 1,200 Turkish security personnel and civilians since taking up arms again.
Illegal border crossings
The military also released information about illegal border crossing attempts.
The statement said that on Thursday, two PKK terrorists were arrested in the southeastern Sanliurfa and southern Kilis provinces while trying to cross illegally into Turkey from northern Syria.
Border troops also detained 1,649 people attempting to cross illegally into Turkey from Syria, two others from Iran, and 12 from Greece.
Security forces also held 38 people during an illegal attempt to cross from Turkey to Greece, and six others to Syria.
