5 more terrorists captured dead in eastern Turkey

By Gozde Bayar

ANKARA (AA) - Five terrorists were captured dead in Turkey’s eastern Siirt province, the country’s interior minister said on Wednesday.

“As part of the Operation Yildirim-11 Herekol, gendarmerie commando unit and Gendarmerie Special Operations forces captured five more terrorists dead in Siirt today,” Suleyman Soylu said on Twitter.

A total of 29 terrorists have been “neutralized" over the past week, 22 of them were killed, five of them surrendered and two were captured alive, Soylu added.

The Interior Ministry said today's air-backed operation was carried out in the Mt. Tandir region of the Baykan district.

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

On Sept. 11, Operation Yildirim-11 was launched in Siirt to neutralize PKK terrorists in the region.

The affiliation of the terrorists was not given, but the terrorist PKK has been active in the region.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.