The Interior Ministry announced on Tuesday that four members of the PKK terrorist group surrendered to security forces within the last 24 hours. The ministry said the PKK members were convinced to turn themselves in thanks to the efforts of gendarmerie forces and police.
The surrendered terrorists joined the PKK between 1992 and 2015 and were based in Iraq and Syria. With the latest addition, the number of terrorists who surrendered since the beginning of 2023 rose to five.
The PKK has been responsible for the deaths of thousands since the 1980s in its campaign of violence. Incessant counterterrorism operations reduced the number of its members hiding in Türkiye to below 120. Still, the terrorist group has more members hiding in mountainous territories of northern Iraq, and Syria’s northeast, near the Turkish border.
Figures by the Interior Ministry show 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.
