114 PKK terrorists killed as anti-terror operations end in İdil district, southeastern Turkey

A counter-terrorism operation by Turkish security forces in southeastern district of Idil came to an end Tuesday, a security source said.

In the 20-day operation in the district of Şırnak province resulted in the killing of 114 PKK terrorists and the seizure of weapons including rocket launchers, hand grenades and long-barreled weapons, the source said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Earlier in the day two police officers were killed in Idil when an explosive placed on the road detonated under their vehicle, security sources said separately. Three police and three soldiers were also wounded in the blast.

A series of operations across southeast Turkey were launched in December 2015 to root out the PKK in urban areas and remove hundreds of barricades and ditches dug by the terrorist group, which renewed its armed campaign against Turkey in July.

Since then, 290 members of the security forces have been killed while, according to a military statement at the weekend, 1,250 terrorists have been killed in Şırnak, Diyarbakır, Mardin and Muş provinces.

The source told an Anadolu Agency reporter in Idil that 19 terrorists were killed Tuesday evening, bringing the operation to an end.

In total, 175 barricades and 56 ditches were removed, 3,100 buildings cleared and 47 long-barreled weapons, five rocket launchers, and 144 grenades captured.

An anti-terrorist operation that was launched in early December is still ongoing in Sur, the ancient neighborhood of Diyarbakır.

The General Staff also made a statement on Tuesday which said that 19 PKK terrorists in Şırnak's İdil district and six in Diyarbakır's Sur district were killed in counter-terror operations.

The statement also noted that the total number of terrorists killed since the start of anti-terror operations in both districts increased to 362.

Turkey has intensified its counterterror operations following the recent attacks carried out by the PKK, which is recognized as a terrorist organization by the U.S., the EU and Turkey.

Formed in 1978, the terrorist group has been fighting the Turkish government for an independent state until the early 2000's. The group then shifted its goal to autonomy in predominately Kurdish inhabited regions of Turkey.