Turkey: 16 PKK terrorists killed in southeast

By Sarp Ozer

ANKARA

The Turkish Air Forces killed a total of 16 PKK terrorists during ongoing operations in the southeastern Sirnak and Hakkari provinces, the General Staff said today.

Forces staged counterterrorism operation against terrorists detected by unmanned air vehicles and killed eight terrorists in Sirnak, said a General Staff statement.

Also in Hakkari’s Cukurca district, forces killed another eight terrorists believed to be preparing an attack on a military base.

Fighter jets also destroyed caves, shelters, and weapon caches in northern Iraq’s Avasin-Basyan, Qandil, and Zap regions early Wednesday, the statement added.

More than 1,200 people, including security force personnel and civilians, have lost their lives since the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU -- resumed its decades-old armed campaign in July 2015.

Reporting by Sarp Ozer; Writing by Ahmet Furkan Mercan