Amid the gaining of ground by security forces against PKK terrorists in southeast Turkey, a commander in charge of operations in the Sur district of Diyarbakır province has made a call for terrorists to surrender from the loudspeakers of the historical Ulu Mosque.

Calling for terrorists to surrender in order to stay alive, the commander said, "Put an end to your terror activities in the Sur district and surrender. Do not victimize more people living here. Do not cause more deaths."

Meanwhile in the district, security forces continue to remove barricades, filling the ditches using construction equipment and destroying the explosives planted in them. Despite some clashes, most of the neighborhoods in the district have seen terrorists purged.

According to a statement issued by the General Staff on Thursday, four terrorists were killed in the operations on Jan. 20, which means 108 terrorists have been killed in total since December 2015.

Locals in the district, who were allowed to return to their homes to take their belongings on Thursday, have complained about PKK terror with its vandalism, disregard for the lives of civilians, property of people and cultural heritage, saying that terrorists have demolished mosques, fired at houses and ending the peace in the place.

Maroon Berets kill 5 PKK snipers

Due to the threat posed to the security officers, the Maroon Beret team conducted an operation against terrorist snipers, killing five among 13. These terrorist snipers use the Dragunov SVD semi-automatic sniper rifle, known as Kanas in Turkey.

Following intelligence reports which indicated that 13 snipers, including five women, had crossed the border into Turkey, the Maroon Beret team together with special operation police units conducted simultaneous operations attacking the bases that terrorists have set up in abandoned buildings and the roofs of several houses in Sur and Cizre district of Şırnak province. Five snipers, including two women, were killed in the operation. It is expected that operations will continue until the capture of the six remaining snipers in Sur, and two more in Cizre.

Reportedly terrorists, who target citizens, ambulances and construction workers, have killed 23 security officers and 11 civilians so far using Kanas rifles in the conflict-ridden districts.