Turkey crosses off 4 wanted senior PKK terrorists

By Muhammed Boztepe

ANKARA

Security forces "neutralized" four so-called senior figures of the PKK terror organization on Nov. 1-8 across southeastern Turkey, according to Interior Ministry sources.

Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralized" in their statements to imply that the terrorists in question either surrendered or were killed or captured.

Turkey divides wanted terrorists into five color-coded categories, with red as the most wanted, followed by blue, green, orange and grey.

Bedirhan Abo in the "red category", Muslim Firtina in the "green category", Selim Demiroglu in the "orange category" and Ilyas Karakoc in the "grey category" were among those neutralized with a total bounty of $5.9 million, according to ministry sources who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.

Amid increasing pressure on the terror group, security forces neutralized 113 terrorists last month -- including Yusuf Tunc who was wanted in the ministry’s “grey category” -- with operations ongoing in Turkey’s eastern and southeastern regions as well as across the border in neighboring Iraq.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people, including women and children.