Turkish Army hits PKK camps in Turkey and northern Iraq

Uğur Ergan – ANKARA

Turkish jets hit outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) camps both inside the country and in northern Iraq as a part of two separate air operations, the Turkish General Staff has announced.

The first operation inside the country targeted shelters and sanctuaries belonging to the PKK in the rural Şemdinli area in the southeastern province of Hakkari between 2:15 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., according to a statement on March 22.

In a separate air operation on March 23, a total of 13 aircraft, including F-16 and F-4 2020 jets, destroyed PKK ammunition stores and shelters in northern Iraq between 1:15 a.m. and 2:30 a.m., the statement added.

A total of 26 PKK militants were killed on March 22 during ongoing operations in Turkey’s southeast, according to Turkish Armed Forces figures.

Nine PKK militants were killed in the Mardin province’s Nusaybin district, bringing the total number of terrorists killed since the beginning of operations to 54.        

Also in the province of Şırnak, 9 militants were killed, bringing the total killed in this province in recent operations to 50.        

Eight militants were killed in Hakkari’s Yüksekova district, where 57 were killed earlier. 

Six foreign national PKK and Democratic Union Party (PYD) militants were also captured on March 23 during security checks by security forces in the Ceylanpınar district of Şanlıurfa, the Turkish army said.