ANKARA

Turkish security forces tracked down 147 PKK terrorist hideouts in air raids using drones and reconnaissance jets this year, according to data from the country’s Interior Ministry.

The drones and jets were in flight for over 40,660 hours.

In anti-terror operations initiated by the Interior Ministry against the PKK, terrorists, including so-called senior operatives, were neutralized.

As a result, the number of terrorists in the country has dropped below 180.

Turkish authorities use the term “neutralize” to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.

* Writing by Gozde Bayar