Expanding its fight against terrorist elements, the Turkish military on Tuesday launched a series of counterterrorism operations against the PKK in the eastern and southeastern regions of the country.
On the same day, the interior ministry announced that it had launched two new phases in a bid to fight domestic terrorism.
Operation Eren-4 was launched in the Karliova-Varto region of the eastern provinces of Bingöl and Muş. A total of 93 teams were assigned to the operation, including over 1,600 personnel consisting of the gendarmerie, police and village guards, the ministry said in a statement.
Operation Eren-5 Bagok is moving forward in the southeastern province of Mardin with 145 operational teams, including over 2,500 personnel made up of the gendarmerie, police and village guards.
The governor's office in Mardin said that the operation was being carried out to ensure the safety of citizens and protect their property. Members of the terrorist group are killed and their shelters and hideouts destroyed in the Nusaybin district, it added.
The first phases of the three operations, Eren-1 Tendurek, Eren-2 Lice and Eren-3 Mt. Ağrı, launched earlier this year are still ongoing, according to the ministry.
The operation was named Eren Bülbül after a 15-year-old boy who was killed by PKK terrorists on Aug. 11, 2017. Bülbül's death was met by public outcry at the time, with locals hanging Turkish flags from windows and balconies as the country came together condemning the terrorist group.
Turkish security forces regularly conduct successful counterterrorism activities that hinder the PKK in the eastern and southeastern provinces of Turkey, where the group has attempted to establish a strong presence.
Security forces have adopted a strategy of "ending terrorism at the root" and "attack rather than defend" in its operations across the country.
The country launched a series of operations named Lightning and Kapan in 2020 with the aim of eliminating the separatist PKK terrorist group and clearing the region of terrorists.
Meanwhile, the Turkish military has introduced new high-tech "camouflage" uniforms made with waterproof nanotechnological fabric. Turkish soldiers in the southeastern province of Hakkari will be the first to wear the new uniforms, which they were given on Tuesday.
The uniforms were designed in 2019 and consist of a basic training uniform, a wind jacket and boots. The new uniforms are expected to elevate the quality of counterterrorism operations, allowing the soldiers to move more comfortably and freely in winter conditions.