Turkish security forces on Saturday caught a PKK terrorist who conducted an attack in southeastern Diyarbakır province in 2016 with a bomb-laden vehicle that killed five members of the same family.
Mehmet Eliaçık was arrested at a notary in Diyarbakır.
Twelve people were also injured in the Aug. 10, 2016, attack in Sur district.
Separately, a terrorist was caught in Mardin province who was identified as a "miner and bomber" for the PKK terror organization. A Kalashnikov gun, two hand grenades and other ammunition were seized from Zilan Demir, code-named Zana Mardin, according to a governor's statement.
Turkish security forces regularly conduct counterterrorism operations in the eastern and southeastern provinces of Turkey where the PKK has attempted to establish a strong presence.
Turkish security forces have adopted “ending terrorism at its root” and “attack rather than defense” strategies through its operations across the country.
According to Interior Ministry data, there were 835 to 1,995 PKK terrorists in January 2017, while the number dropped to between 1,100 and 1,200 by January 2018, 755 to 876 in January 2019 and under 500 in January 2020, equating to an 83% drop over four years and the lowest figures in three decades.
In its more than 40-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and European Union, has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.
There has also been a surge in the number of terrorists laying down arms and surrendering to Turkish security forces following a series of successful domestic and cross-border anti-terror operations, with almost 50 terrorists having surrendered to Turkish forces since the beginning of 2020.
