Türkiye 'neutralized' 1,045 PKK terrorists over past year, says President Erdogan

ISTANBUL

Turkish security forces "neutralized" a total of 1,045 terrorists, including seven who were on the country's most-wanted red list, during operations against the PKK terror group over the past year, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday.

"A total of 1,045 terrorists, seven of whom were wanted in the red category, were neutralized in operations against the PKK/KCK last year," Erdogan said in a speech to police graduates in the capital Ankara.

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

In its nearly 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK — listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and the EU — has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.

Erdogan also highlighted the country's efforts against organized crime, noting that 603 criminal groups had been dismantled by police and intelligence forces at the local, regional, national, and international levels.

He also stressed that the Turkish state would continue to pursue members of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) -- a group whose 2016 coup attempt in Türkiye was roundly defeated.

"The breath of our state's institutions will continue to be on the necks of the treacherous FETO members, no matter where they run," Erdogan said.

FETO and its US-based leader Fethullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, in which 252 people were killed and 2,734 wounded in Türkiye.

Gulen has long lived in the US state of Pennsylvania. Since the 2016 coup attempt, Turkish leaders have sought the extradition of Gulen, but US officials have not approved this, saying that what Türkiye submitted falls short of the standard required. The refusal to extradite has long been a thorn in the side of Turkish-US relations.