PKK uses civilians as human shields on terror camps, Ministry of Foreign Affairs says

Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that the terrorist organization PKK uses civilians as human shields in its camps.

The Ministry released a statement on Saturday regarding the recent allegations claiming that the recent airstrikes against the PKK's Zergele camp have caused civilian casualties in Northern Iraq.

It was stated that the PKK "unfortunately" uses civilians as a human shield.

"All targets chosen under the scope of the air operations –which are carried out in highest standards- are chosen from areas which are reported to be civilian-free based on intelligence reports" the statement read, and noted that maximum attention is paid to ensure that there are no civilian casualties.

The ministry noted that there were no civilians in the Zergele terrorist camp, where senior PKK administrators are located.

"Under any circumstances, all allegations will be investigated in an extensive manner and mutual work will be carried out with the Kurdish regional government in Iraq" the statement read, and added that all findings will be shared with the public as soon as possible.

Turkey has carried out airstrikes against the PKK, which is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the EU and the U.S., in conjunction with raids on ISIS militants in Syria. The government has also intensified its counterterror operations and has arrested hundreds of people with suspected links to ISIS, the PKK, and leftist groups, detaining over 1,300 people across the country, according to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office.