Army finds bodies of 30 PKK terrorists killed by earlier operations in southeast Turkey


Turkish military has found the bodies of 30 terrorists following the end of a counter-terrorism operation in southeastern Şırnak province's Cizre district Thursday, it was announced Saturday."During the operation, [soldiers] found 30 dead bodies neutralized earlier in seven different apartments," Turkish General Staff said on its official website Saturday.The military said the number of "neutralized" terrorists was now at 654.The counter-terrorism operation in Cizre ended officially Thursday.The military also said that it captured five PKK terrorists in the district on Friday.An intensified operation to root out the PKK began on Dec. 16, although a curfew was put in place in the area in September.An anti-terrorism operation is still ongoing in Diyarbakir province's Sur district.Turkish army also said it killed a PKK member in Sur on Friday, adding that the number of "neutralized" terrorists in the district was now at 190.Other towns in the southeast have seen similar operations but the ones in Cizre and Sur have proved to be the longest-running so far.In southeastern Hakkari province, the army said a terrorist surrendered to the army on Friday.The army also captured on the same day a suspected PYD member while crossing illegally into Turkey's southeastern Şanlıurfa province. It also captured a suspected Daesh member of foreign nationality while crossing into Turkey's southeastern Kilis province from Syria.The PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by also by the U.S. and EU -- resumed its 30-year armed campaign last July.