Turkish army ‘neutralizes’ 44 PKK militants in one week
ANKARA/HAKKARİ
A total of 44 militants fighting for the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) have been “neutralized” in northern Iraq, the Turkish Armed Forces announced in a written statement on Oct. 22. The ongoing air-supported army operation began on Oct. 16.
Authorities use the word “neutralized” to refer to militants who are killed, wounded or captured.
Three militants were “neutralized” in an armed conflict with security personnel, while 13 who were identified as preparing for attacks were stopped by airstrikes in the Zap region of northern Iraq, close to the Turkish border. This is where PKK camps used to launch attacks on Turkey, read the statement.
The previous day, five PKK militants were killed in southeastern Turkey, the provincial governor’s office said on late Oct. 22.
According to a statement from the Hakkari Governor’s Office, on Oct. 21 a Turkish air operation killed five militants near the Çatalca village of the Şemdinli district after drones located them in the rural area, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
A judicial investigation is underway regarding the issue, the report added.
On another note, the Turkish military have announced that army jets killed four PKK militants in eastern Turkey on Oct. 21.
In the statement, the Turkish General Staff said the air operation was carried out in the Genç district of the Bingöl province on Oct. 20.
The airstrikes killed four PKK militants thought to be preparing for an attack, the statement added.
On Oct. 22, eight Turkish soldiers were wounded when an armored vehicle crashed in the Turkish border city of Kilis in the south.
The vehicle was understood to have tipped over due to a slope in the Martyr Mehmet Border Patrol Station, a region controlled by the Second Border Battalion Command.
The wounded soldiers were then transferred to a Kilis hospital.
Their health conditions were reported to be stable.
In addition, on Oct. 22 Turkish airstrikes “neutralized” five PKK militants, who were spotted by drones in Şemdinli, near the southeastern border, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.