11 PKK terrorists killed in SE Turkey, Iraq's north

By Hasan Namli, Lale Koklu, Bulent Temiz, Abdullah Celik and Yilmaz Kazandioglu

DIYARBAKIR/HATAY/BINGOL/HAKKARI, Turkey (AA) – A total of 11 PKK terrorists were killed in Turkey’s eastern and southeastern provinces and northern Iraq on Saturday, according to local governors.

Five terrorists were “neutralized” in Karliova district of eastern Bingol province during an air-backed operation against the terrorist group PKK, Bingol Governor’s Office said.

Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralized" in their statements to imply that the terrorists in question were killed or sometimes captured.

During an ongoing anti-PKK operation in southeastern Hakkari province, four terrorists were “neutralized” in an airstrike on Ora area in northern Iraq, a source who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, said.

Operations in the region continue, the source added.

The Hakkari Governor’s Office said that one other PKK terrorist was “neutralized” in Guvendagi area of Cukurca district in a separate operation while another was killed in southeastern Diyarbakir province.

In southern Hatay province, two Syria-born terrorists who were reportedly trying to cross to the PKK/PYD-held area of Afrin in northwestern Syria were apprehended, the governor’s office said.

The PKK is listed as a terror organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU.

More than 1,200 victims, including security personnel and civilians, have lost their lives in PKK attacks in Turkey since the terror group resumed its decades-old campaign in July 2015.