Two soldiers were killed in fresh clashes with the PKK terrorist organization in Turkey's southeastern Hakkari province, the city governorship said on Monday.
Gendarmerie special forces supported by the army's air and land forces along with artillery units had been conducting a military operation against PKK terrorists in Hakkari's Çukurca district. Turkish jets conducted two airstrikes in the region as the clashes are reported to be ongoing
During the operation, a large amount of ammunition and explosives were found in a PKK shelter. Other equipment - including electricity generators, batteries and medical supplies - were seized, according to a source who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Intense clashes have been ongoing in the Hakkari region since a large scale operation was launched against PKK terrorists in the nearby Çukurca district, which also borders Iraq, on early Friday. On early Saturday, seven soldiers were killed and 21 others were injured in an armed clash with the terrorists in Çukurca.
At least 20 terrorists were killed in Monday's operations, bringing the estimated total number of terrorists killed in clashes near Çukurca to 157. The exact number is believed to be higher.
The PKK terrorist organization has increased its deadly terror attacks since it unilaterally ended reconciliation process in July in 2015.
The two-and-a-half year-long reconciliation process, which was initiated by the Turkish government in 2012 when the current President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was prime minister, aimed to resolve the long-running conflict in Turkey.
Since the end of the ceasefire in July last year, the terror organization has killed hundreds of people, including security personnel and civilians, not only in southern Turkey but also in western part of the country.
Following the increasing terror attacks by the PKK, which is listed as a terror organization by the U.S. and EU, the Turkish government has intensified its counterterror operations.
