UPDATE - Less than 600 terrorists left in Turkey: Minister

UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS, REVISED SPOT

By Erdogan Cagatay Zontur and Orhan Onur Gemici

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish interior minister on Tuesday said there are less than 600 terrorists remaining in the country, thanks to Ankara’s fight against terrorism.

"We are at the peak of our determination and success in eliminating terrorism," Suleyman Soylu said at a ceremony in the capital Ankara.

A total of 5,558 people have joined the terrorist organization since 2014, Soylu said.

“Since the beginning of the year [2019], 74 people joined the terrorist organization, while 230 others left; 155 of them were convinced by their families [to leave the group],” he added.

Though the minister did not mention a specific terrorist group, Turkey has long been conducting operations against the PKK terror group in the region.

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