Turkish army launches major operation against PKK

TUNCELİ - Doğan News Agency (DHA)

Thick snow cover slowed down troop movement in certain areas. Turkish army stock photo

The Turkish Armed Forces launched a major military operation against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the eastern province of Tunceli yesterday. 
 
The military routinely conducts large-scale operations against PKK militants emerging from their winter hideouts as spring begins, but this year’s attack began late due to harsh conditions, reports said.
 
Nearly 2,000 specially trained soldiers participated in the operation, encompassing an area that covered the outskirts of the Tunceli provincial center, as well as the districts of Nazimiye and Hozat. 
 
Numerous hideouts that are used by PKK militants as winter camps were captured by Turkish soldiers as hundreds of troops were deployed via land and air into the Pülümür, Munzur, Geyiksuyu and Ahpanos valleys.
 
The sound of intense gunfire was heard near Geyiksuyu village this morning, but there were no confirmed reports of clashes. 
 
The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.