Turkey destroyed over 2,700 PKK shelters in last 2 years, Interior Ministry says

Turkey's anti-terror operations destroyed 2,700 shelters and seized 600 walkie talkies used by YPG/PKK over the last two years, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said late Sunday.

"This year alone, we have seized over 70 tons of food," he said regarding Turkey's efforts to take away PKK terrorists' livelihoods.

Soylu also said that Turkey seized 43 million cannabis roots worth 15 billion Turkish liras ($2.5 billion) in anti-drug operations in 2019.

Turkey has been fighting narcoterrorism, and this year alone confiscated over 40 tons of marijuana.

Soylu also touched upon the Kurdish mothers' ongoing protest against the PKK terrorist group, who abducted and forcibly recruited their children.

"Their struggle has been as effective as the state's efforts against terror," he said.

The Kurdish mothers' protest started on Sept. 3 in Diyarbakır after a mother, Fevziye Çetinkaya, said her 17-year-old son was forcibly recruited by the PKK through members of the HDP.

The protest is ongoing with some 48 families currently, including five Iranian families whose children have been abducted by PJAK, an offshoot of the PKK terrorist group based in Iran.

Similar events have taken place previously and have continued since the PKK started its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey which has caused the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.

In 2011, families whose children were kidnapped by the PKK terrorist organization once again gathered for a sit-in protest in Diyarbakır to show their discontent toward HDP officials.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU.