A PKK terrorist has confessed that the group gives drugs to minors, especially young girls, and then sexually abuses them, a security source said yesterday. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the terrorist had surrendered to Turkish security forces on Sept. 9, claiming he could no longer tolerate the atrocities the PKK inflicted on innocent civilians.

The terrorist said that drugs, which are the PKK's main source of income, were used on youngsters. The group allegedly drugs the meals of girl recruits aged 13-14. Once the drugs show their effects, the minors are sexually abused, he said. The terrorists also force youngsters into addiction.

In August, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported on a young people who were subjected to such abuse and ended up committing suicide. Some of the victims who resisted sexual abuse were executed by the terrorist group. The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union. In one case, Dilan, a young PKK recruit committed suicide using a hand grenade after facing abuse at the hands of PKK ringleader Murat Karayılan. In another case, a 19-year-old terrorist, identified as S.A., was executed by the PKK after he complained of rape. S.A. is said to have been gang-raped by 12 PKK members in a cell. In its 30-year-long terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women and children.