Some 33 PKK militants killed over week: Turkish military

ANKARA

At least 33 outlawed Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) militants were killed in Turkey and northern Syria over the last week, the Turkish military said on March 18.

The Turkish General Staff said in a statement that 28 militants were killed in anti-PKK operations in the Turkish provinces of Diyarbakır, Bingöl, Siirt, Şırnak, Bitlis, Batman, and Hakkari between March 11 and March 18.

During the operations, 24 shelters used by the PKK were destroyed and a vehicle seized, while 66 improvised explosives, 93 grenades, and eight infantry rifles were recovered.

Five Turkish soldiers were killed during security efforts at the border, during which 3,873 people were captured trying to cross illegally.

Meanwhile, five PYD/PKK/YPG militants were killed in northern Syria as part of the Turkish-led Operation Euphrates Shield, according to the statement, which said efforts to clear mines and explosives are ongoing in the regions of Al-Bab, Qabasin, and Bzagah.

Turkish jets have destroyed 2,325 targets, and the military has taken control of 243 residential areas and 2,015 square kilometers (778 square miles) between the cities of Azaz and Jarabulus.

According to another statement by the military Friday, Turkish jets destroyed three PKK targets in the Avasin-Basyan and Zap regions in northern Iraq late on March 17.