Fifteen PKK terrorists have been killed by security officers in the Derik district of the southeastern province of Mardin, according to a statement released by the Mardin governorate on Thursday.
Following the announcement of a curfew in the district on Nov. 27, security officers have conducted comprehensive operations against the PKK and its youth-wing, the Patriotic Revolutionary Youth-Movement (YDG-H). Together with 15 terrorists who were killed, two YDG-H members were also captured during the operations. In the statement, one soldier is dead and four officers were wounded in the clashes in the district.
Eight barricades, two ditches and seven bombing set-ups were removed by security officers, as military equipment including rifles, bullets and items for bomb making were also confiscated during the operations, the statement indicated.
Terrorists reportedly targeted ambulances when the clashes broke out, while the pressure on civilians at that time caused more than 5,000 people to leave their homes in the district.
It is also reported that virtually 30 terrorists from PKK lines came to the district to coordinate the YDG-H's activities.
While many terrorists have been killed in the operations since July 24, shelters, emplacements and ammunition depots have also been destroyed, causing a restriction of maneuverability for the PKK terrorist organization. Particularly in the provinces where there have been claims of self-rule, security forces have sharpened the focus of the operations and dealt a major blow to the PKK in those places.
Previously, it was also reported that the popularity of the PKK and the YDG-H among the locals has significantly decreased in the region due to the ongoing war with security forces in the provinces. The PKK has purportedly marked houses belonging to families who are known to oppose the PKK's life-crippling policies of digging ditches, barricading roads and clashing with security forces, in order to pressure them to leave.
The government has intensified its counter terror operations following the recent attacks carried out by the PKK, which is recognized as a terrorist organization by the U.S., EU and Turkey.
