June 18, 2018•Update: June 18, 2018
ANKARA
At least 22 PKK terrorists have been neutralized as part of anti-terror operations across Turkey over the past week, said an Interior Ministry statement on Monday.
Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralized" in their statements to imply that the terrorists in question either surrendered or were killed or captured.
In its statement, the ministry said the Turkish Armed Forces carried out 2,043 counter-terrorism operations on June 11-18 with the assistance of land and air forces.
The ministry said 10 of the terrorists were killed, four others were captured, and eight surrendered to authorities.
Ramazan Yasugev, codenamed "Leheng Arges," Erkan Ordu, codenamed “Taylan,” Ertan Erol, codenamed “Ferhat Dersim,” and Veli Taskiran, codenamed “Botan” -- all on Turkey’s terrrorist wanted list -- were among the neutralized terrorists.
During the operations, 134 people were arrested for allegedly aiding and abetting the PKK terrorist group and 61 others for their suspected links to the Daesh terrorist group.
Also, another 119 people were arrested for suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the July 2016 defeated coup, which martyred 250 people and injured nearly 2,200, and 12 others for their links to leftist terrorist groups.
Listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU, the PKK has been responsible for the death of some 40,000 people since the mid-1980s.
Security forces also destroyed five shelters, including several caves and 35 improvised explosives, during operations in the eastern provinces of Agri, Hakkari, and Van, the statement said.
In addition, they seized 467 hand grenades, 171 assorted weapons and 240,000 rounds of various ammunition.
During the operations, security forces also arrested 326 suspects for crimes related to terrorism, and 3,293 others for organized migrant and drug trafficking crimes, while 72 people were held for undocumented migration.
After examining 1,422 social media accounts, the Turkish police’s cybercrime division launched legal proceedings against 251 suspects accused of spreading propaganda of the terror groups FETO/PDY, PKK, and Daesh.
Reporting by Sertac Bulur:Writing by Nilay Kar
