8 PKK militants ‘neutralized’ in northern Iraq
ANKARA - Anadolu Agency
Turkish airstrikes neutralized eight outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants in Turkey’s southeastern and eastern provinces and northern Iraq, the military said on July 1.
In a message on Twitter, the Turkish General Staff said fighter jets had conducted airstrikes on July 30 and July 1 in northern Iraq’s Zap region and in rural areas of the southeastern Şırnak and eastern Van provinces.
Turkish authorities often use the word “neutralized” in their statements to imply the militants in question either surrendered or were killed or captured.
Airstrikes on PKK targets in northern Iraq have been carried out regularly since July 2015, when a peace process between the PKK and the Turkish state collapsed.
ast week, the Turkish Armed Forces said on June 29 that more than 4,500 militants have been neutralized since the beginning of “Operation Olive Branch.”
Turkey launched “Operation Olive Branch” on Jan. 20 along with elements of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) to clear Afrin of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG). Turkey sees the YPG as the offshoot of the PKK, which is also listed as a terrorist organization by the European Union and the United States.
