Terrorists being buried in trenches they dig: Erdogan

By Cigdem Alyanak and Zehra Melek Cat

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday reiterated his firm stance against terrorism, vowing to root out terrorists from his country’s soil.

Speaking at an inauguration ceremony of July 15 National Park in Esenler district of Istanbul, Erdogan said: “We are always in terrorists’ mind. We are burying them [terrorists] in the trenches that they dig and will continue to do so.”

Turkey conducts anti-terror operations inside the country and northern Iraq to neutralize PKK terrorists.

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

Anti-terror operations targeting Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) -- the group behind the July 15, 2016 coup attempt, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured -- also are ongoing across the country.

According to the Turkish government, FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup.

Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.