Turkish forces kill 12 PKK militants

ANKARA

The Turkish military killed a total of 12 outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants on Nov. 27, according to a statement from the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces on Nov. 28.

The statement said Turkish fighter jets conducted an airstrike on PKK targets in northern Iraq’s Zap and Metina areas, killing eight militants and destroying two caves.

Four others were killed in a clash with security forces in Turkey’s eastern province of Tunceli, it added.

Some 79 people were detained across Turkey on Nov. 28 for suspected links to the PKK.

Police sources said 14 suspects were detained in the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa and and 13 were detained in the northwestern province of Tekirdağ in separate operations.

In a statement, the southeastern Hakkari provincial governor’s office said four suspects were detained in Hakkari over links to the PKK while three others were detained for spreading PKK propaganda on social media.

According to police sources, 13 suspects were detained in Ankara and 26 were detained in Ağrı and Istanbul over links to the PKK.

In northeastern Ardahan, five suspects were detained for producing PKK propaganda and insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, according to police sources.

Two of them were remanded in custody while the other three were released under judicial control, judicial sources said.

Three suspected Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) members were also detained in Şanlıurfa and were later remanded in custody, according to police and judicial sources.