Authorities announced Saturday that one member of the PKK terrorist group has surrendered after long persuasion efforts by security forces in Türkiye’s eastern province of Hakkari.
“One male member of the PKK/KCK was convinced to turn himself into Türkiye. He was brought to Hakkari, reunited with his family and later taken to the courthouse for legal procedures,” the city police said.
The incident brought the number of terrorists who surrendered since the beginning of 2023 to 19.
A significant number of suspected terrorists have begun to abandon the PKK and surrender, but many terrorists lack the courage to leave the terrorist group out of fear of severe punishment if caught.
The PKK has been responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands since the 1980s in its campaign of violence. Persistent counterterrorism operations reduced the number of its members hiding in Türkiye to below 120. Still, the terrorist group has more members camping in mountainous territories of northern Iraq and Syria’s northeast near the Turkish border.
Figures by the Interior Ministry suggest that a total of 8,410 suspects aiding and abetting the PKK were detained last year, while 125 members of the terrorist group were convinced by authorities to surrender in 2022. In 2014, over 5,500 people joined the terrorist group, while it dropped below 1,000 in 2016. Last year, only 57 people joined the group.
