2 PKK terrorists killed in southeastern Turkey

By Sinan Uslu

ANKARA (AA) – In an air-backed operation in southeastern Turkey, the Turkish Armed Forces on Thursday killed two PKK terrorists who were on the Interior Ministry’s wanted list, the military announced.

In a statement on Friday, the Turkish General Staff said Asli Ozkaya, codenamed “Aze Malazgirt,” and Rahmi Ayhan, codenamed “Herekol Heşet,” were killed in the Sirnak province’s Bestler-Dereler region.

Five improvised explosives were also destroyed during an ongoing operation in the Avasin-Basyan region of northern Iraq, the statement added.

In a separate statement, the military said shelters, weapon pits, arms and ammunition depots were destroyed during an air-backed operation in the Hakurk and Avasin-Basyan region of northern Iraq.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization in Turkey, the U.S., and the EU. In its over three-decade terror campaign against Turkey, more than 40,000 people have been killed.

Since the group resumed its armed campaign in July 2015, more than 1,200 people, including security force personnel and civilians, have lost their lives.