Turkish forces 'neutralize' wanted PKK terrorists
Gendarmes neutralize 5 PKK terrorists in Thursday's operation, 4 of them were wanted
ANKARA
Turkish security forces neutralized five PKK terrorists in the southeastern province of Diyarbakir, the Interior Ministry said Friday.
Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralized" in their statements to imply that the terrorists in question either surrendered or were killed or captured.
Four of the terrorists were wanted in the in the gray category of the Interior Ministry's list.
The wanted list is divided into five color-coded categories, with red as the most wanted, followed by blue, green, orange and gray.
They were identified as: Hamit Aydogan codenamed Doctor Ferhat; Mehmet Resat Tekin codenamed Resit; Muslum Irmak codenamed Merhas; and Mesut Aktas codenamed Aziz Ararat.
They had a 300,000-Turkish-lira ($50,434) each bounty on their heads.
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 many women and children.
* Writing by Can Erozden
