Turkish forces kill PKK terrorists, seize firearms

By Ali Kemal Akan, Ali Dager and Sertac Bulur

ANKARA

Turkish security forces killed 63 PKK terrorists in the country’s southeastern provinces over the last week, according to the military.

Four Turkish soldiers were also martyred and 27 injured.

The Turkish General Staff on Friday said operations against the terrorist PKK organization took place between Sep. 21 and 27.

Sixty-three PKK terrorists were killed in the Yuksekova district of Hakkari province, the Silopi and Beytussebap districts of Sirnak province, the Midyat and Nusaybin districts of Mardin province, the Baykan district of Siirt province and the Lice district of Diyarbakir province.

A quantity of illegal firearms, including RPGs and handguns were also recovered.

Ammunition, grenades, mines and other explosives were also found.

Fifty-four improvised explosive devices and PKK shelters and depots were destroyed in the operations.

Large amounts of contraband were found, including 152,000 packets of smuggled cigarettes, as well as narcotics, including 1,900 kilograms of hashish.

Meanwhile, Turkish warplanes performed an airstrike in northern Iraq to neutralize terrorist targets on Thursday night.

Jets destroyed weapon pits, shelters and ammunition depots used by the PKK.

Elsewhere, two PKK terrorists were killed in the Ercis district of Turkey’s eastern Van province, security sources said on Friday.

Also, two more PKK terrorists were killed in the Beytussebap district of southeastern Sirnak province during an ongoing operation, the local governor’s office said Friday.

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 EU -- resumed its decades-old armed campaign in July 2015.