The Interior Ministry said Thursday it has started Operation Kapan-3 against the PKK terrorist group in Kazan Valley.

According to government officials, Operation Kapan-3 is being carried out to prevent imminent terrorist attacks being planned by the PKK for the spring and summer. The operation aims to identify the areas being used as shelters by the terrorists. It focuses on making their warehouses unusable and catching those who abet the terrorists.

A total of 845 people on 58 teams, including gendarmerie and police forces, are taking part in the operation in southeastern Hakkari province, which is a few kilometers away from the Turkish and Iraqi borders.

According to officials, police seized an AT-4 missile, 496 DShK 1938 ammunitions, 980 AK-47 Kalashnikov infantry rifle cartridges, two chargers, eight battery blocks and a large number of daily use items from three Iraqi nationals during the operation in Kazan Alley.

Turkey launched Operation Kapan-3 to eliminate terrorists in the rural areas of Hakkari province on Jan. 13.

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 and base. The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) also carries out cross-border operations in northern Iraq, a region where PKK terrorists have hideouts and bases from which they can carry out attacks on Turkey.

Operations intensified after July 2018 and have become routine since the beginning of another extensive campaign, Operation Claw, which was launched on May 27 and aimed to entirely eliminate the presence of the terrorist organization in northern Iraq.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU – has killed, injured and disabled hundreds of children in its indiscriminate terror attacks.