Alwaght- Dozens militants belonging to Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) were killed over the last two weeks as Turkish security forces have intensified crackdown on the militant group in southeast Turkey.
Security forces targeted outposts and caves used by the militants for shelter and storage in the southeastern provinces of Sirnak and Hakkari, near the Iraqi border, Turkish military said in a statement on Saturday.
“Ninety-nine terrorists have been neutralized. One is in the so-called leading ranks,” it said.
The outlawed PKK group, which seeks autonomy for the largely Kurdish southeast, has waged a more than three-decade insurgency against the state.
The militant group has bases in the mountains on both sides of the Turkey-Iraq border and is frequently targeted by Turkish security forces.
The operations, which were carried out between Aug. 24 and Sept. 7, led to the seizure of 420 kg (925 lbs) of ammonium nitrate, used to make explosives, as well as bombs, guns and rifles, the military added.
