Over 70 wanted PKK terrorists killed since Sept. 2016

By Orhan Onur, Sertac Bulur and Yiusuf Koyun

ANKARA

At least 74 wanted PKK terrorists have been killed during ongoing counter-terrorism operations since September 2016, an Interior Ministry source told Anadolu Agency on Friday.

The counter-terrorism raids have been targeting the most important members of PKK, including those mentioned in the ministry’s wanted terrorists list, the source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media, said.

The terrorists were mostly killed in eastern and southeastern provinces of Tunceli, Bitlis, Diyarbakir, Hakkari and Adiyaman. Two terrorists were also killed in Syria, while one other was killed in Iraq, the source added.

The wanted list, originally published by the ministry last October, is available at www.terorarananlar.pol.tr.

The Interior Ministry’s list is divided into five color-coded categories with red designated as the most wanted, followed by blue, green, orange and grey.

In separate incidents, three terrorists were killed in southeastern province of Siirt, two others in Diyarbakir and four more in Tunceli.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization in Turkey, the U.S., and the EU. In its over three-decade terror campaign against Turkey, more than 40,000 people have been killed.

Since the group resumed its armed campaign in July 2015, more than 1,200 people, including security force personnel and civilians, have lost their lives.