67 PKK militants ‘neutralized’ in February: Interior ministry

ANKARA

AA photo

Turkish security forces “neutralized” some 67 militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) between Jan. 30 and Feb. 27, according to a statement released by the Turkish Interior Ministry on March 1. 

Authorities use the word “neutralized” in their statements to imply the militants in question were either killed, wounded or captured.       

Some 22 militants were killed, 24 were captured and 21 others surrendered to security forces during the time period, the statement said.

Last month, security forces carried out 861 operations against the PKK, the ministry said, adding that a total of 2,195 suspects were detained in last month’s operations on charges of aiding the PKK, of whom 144 were arrested.   

In addition, five out of 952 suspects who were detained over their links to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) were also arrested.

Some 331 out of 2,849 suspects detained over being members of the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), widely believed to have been behind the July 15, 2016 failed coup attempt, were arrested.    

Two out of 60 suspects who were detained for having links with “leftist terrorist organizations” were arrested. 

A total of 2,466 narcotics operations were carried out, targeting terror groups’ financial resources. 

Over 10 tons of marijuana, 376 kilograms of heroin, 12 kilograms of opium as well as 27,188 pills were seized in operations. 

Authorities also found over 5 million smuggled cigarettes and 239,000 liters of liquid fuel. Some 353 out of 3,727 detainees were arrested.

As a part of operations targeting irregular migration, 8,620 migrants were found and 83 out of 307 detained suspects were arrested for human smuggling.