Two more PKK members have surrendered to Turkish security forces as the terrorist group continues to dissolve, the Interior Ministry said Monday.

In a statement, the ministry said they fled the terrorist group thanks to persuasion efforts of Turkish police and gendarmerie forces and surrendered eventually.

The terrorists joined the PKK in 1993 and were active in Iraq and Iran.

With the latest surrenders, the number of terrorists who have laid down their arms through persuasion efforts this year has risen to 124, it added.

Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said that in 2023, no terrorists would remain in the countryside of Türkiye.

In Türkiye, offenders linked to terrorist groups who surrender are eligible for possible sentence reductions under a repentance law.

According to Turkish officials, in recent years, the terrorist PKK-battered and demoralized by Turkish security forces' successful operations, has been losing members and failing to attract new ones.

Many suspected terrorists have begun to abandon the PKK and surrender. Still, many terrorists lack the courage to leave the terrorist group out of fear of severe punishment if caught.

According to reports, the PKK's leadership struggles to recruit militants and higher ranks. Additionally, many terrorists are reluctant to enter Turkey from Iraq to carry out attacks due to the high number of casualties.

In recent years, Turkey has stepped up domestic operations and efforts across its borders against the terrorist group and convinced many members to abandon the PKK.

Protests by families in front of the pro-PKK Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) headquarters in Diyarbakır demanding the return of their sons and daughters, who were recruited or kidnapped to fight for the terrorist group, have also helped increase the number of people surrendering.

Calls made by the families to their children urging them to return home and surrender, as well as the persuasion efforts by security forces, have been influential.