Eight suspects have been detained in an operation conducted against the outlawed PKK in the southeastern province of Mardin. The suspects were later arrested at the court they were referred to on charges of "being a member of an illegal organization" and "aiding an illegal organization."
Ankara launched a wide-scale operation both at home and across its borders against terrorism since a suicide attack in Suruç, allegedly perpetrated by the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), killed 33 people, triggering a wave of violence committed by the PKK, which is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU. Since then, hundreds of people suspected to be linked with a terrorist organization have been detained. The government has also been launching airstrikes against PKK camps in the Qandil Mountains of northern Iraq, which has killed hundreds of terrorists.
On Wednesday, Ankara's counterterrorism operations resulted in 24 PKK terrorists' deaths in the districts of Lice and Silvan in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır and the Şemdinli district of the southeastern province of Hakkari, Turkish security forces said. Eight militants were also killed in Şemdinli in a clash that erupted with security forces.
At least 771 suspected PKK militants have been killed in operations launched by Turkey's security forces between July 22 and Aug. 20, figures compiled by Anadolu Agency (AA) reveal. The data was obtained from various security sources, including General Staff official statements and police and gendarmerie sources.
Out of the 771 killed, 430 died in airstrikes in northern Iraq. Also, more than 450 PKK members have been injured in various operations against the group. A total of 260 militants were killed inside Turkey and more than 250 others were wounded, security forces statistics claim. The sources also indicated that a total of 18 militants were killed Thursday in Karaçalı, located in the southeastern province of Şırnak along the border with Iraq.
