43 PKK militants ‘neutralized’ over past week

ANKARA

Turkish security forces have neutralized 43 PKK militants including a so-called senior operative in counter-terrorism operations across Turkey over the past week, the country’s Defense Ministry has said in a statement.

Turkish authorities often use the word “neutralize” in their statements to imply that the militants in question either surrendered or were killed or captured.

The statement released on Jan. 25 said that the operations were conducted on Jan. 18-25 in Turkey’s southeastern Diyarbakır, Şırnak, and Mardin provinces, and the eastern Muş and Bitlis provinces, neutralizing 43 militants, including one so-called senior operative.

During the operations, Turkish forces also confiscated eight infantry rifles, 961 pieces of small arms ammunition, eight hand grenades, an antitank weapon, 23 hand-made explosives, 35 kilograms of ammonium nitrate, and four kg of C-4 explosives.

Thirty-eight weapon pits, shelters, and depots belonging to the militants were also destroyed.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union.