Turkish army 'neutralizes 8 terrorists' in SE Turkey

ANKARA

Eight PKK terrorists were “neutralized” in ground-and-air security operations in southeastern Hakkari province Sunday, according to the army.

The Turkish General Staff said in a statement Turkish Air Force jets carried out an air offensive against PKK terrorists in Yuksekova district’s Keylani Tepe (hill) region between 7.08 p.m. (1608 GMT) and 7.20 p.m. (1620 GMT).

The statement said “three separatist terrorist organization members were neutralized” in the air offensive, which also destroyed a cave being used as weapons depot. Separately, the statement said five terrorists were neutralized Sunday in two separate incidents during

an operation in Yuksekova’s Buzul Mountain and Keylani Tepe regions. The operation in Yuksekova district continues.

Turkish army said 320 terrorists had been neutralized in Hakkari province since operations there began.

The military usually uses the term neutralized to mean that PKK terrorists were killed in the operation.

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, PKK terrorist attacks have martyred more than 600 security personnel and also claimed the lives of many civilians, including

women and children, while more than 7,000 PKK terrorists were killed in army operations.