Turkey vows to clear 'Qandil swamp' for sake of peace

By Meltem Bulur

ANKARA (AA) - Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Friday said Turkey must clear the Qandil swamp for good in order to live in peace.

"If we want to live in peace in our country we must clear off Qandil swamp for good and we must succeed,” Mevlut Cavusoglu told state-run TRT news channel.

“Our security forces are continuing their successful counterterrorism operations against terrorists in mountains and in their caves,” he said.

Referring to the terror group PKK and its Iranian version PJAK, he said they were are also a threat to Iran and the Iranian side knows that as well.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey as well as the U.S. and EU.

In its terror campaign against Turkey, which has lasted for more than three decades, over 40,000 people have been killed, including women and children.