Wanted PKK terrorist ‘neutralized’ in eastern Turkey

ANKARA (AA) - Three PKK terrorists, including one wanted by security forces, were “neutralized” in Turkey’s eastern Van province, the Interior Ministry said on Monday.

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

The terrorists were “neutralized” as part of the Operation Eren-1 by the Turkish Gendarmerie Special Forces in a rural area in the Baskale district, a ministry statement said.

Among the terrorists was Gokhan Demir, codenamed Agit, who was in the grey category of the Interior Ministry’s wanted list, the statement said, adding he was the head of the terrorist group in Baskale.

The wanted list is divided into five color-coded categories, with red as the most wanted, followed by blue, green, orange and gray.

Demir was among the perpetrators of the terrorist attack carried out in the Ozalp district of Van on May 15, 2020. A municipal employee and a civilian were killed and another municipal employee was injured in the armed attack targeting a vehicle of the Vefa Social Support Group.

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