2 Turkish soldiers killed during anti-terror operation in SE Türkiye

By Merve Berker

ANKARA (AA) – Two Turkish soldiers were killed and another injured in southeastern Türkiye where the Turkish gendarmerie launched Operation Eren Abluka-18 to rid the area of terror elements, the Interior Ministry said on Thursday.

Three soldiers -- Oguzhan Arduc, Turgut Icen and Mustafa Can Akdogan -- were injured by the PKK terrorists in Diyarbakir province and were immediately taken to nearby hospitals, the ministry said in a written statement.

However, Arduc and Icen succumbed to their injuries despite all efforts to save their lives, the statement added.

Additional gendarmerie teams were sent to the area to “identify and neutralize” the terrorists, it added.

The ministry sent condolences to the families of the “martyrs,” while also wishing a speedy recovery to Akdogan.

Operation Eren Abluka-18 was launched on Wednesday with the aim of rooting out the PKK terrorist organization, eliminating terrorists hiding out in the region, and cutting the group’s financial sources. A total of 61 gendarmerie teams and 950 personnel are taking part in the counter-terror operation.

On the first day of the operation, four suspects were caught and a large quantity of narcotics -- 975 grams of marijuana and over 1.75 million cannabis roots -- and other materials and equipment were seized.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.