Recruitment numbers for the PKK decreased 89 percent over the first seven months of 2017 compared to last year, according to a statement from the Interior Ministry on Twitter.
Speaking on the issue in Ankara's Kazan district, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said that participation in the PKK is "near the endpoint." "These [PKK militants] also started to target civilians, just as every terrorist organization do when they become hopeless. They killed 15-year- old Eren Bülbül in Trabzon. These are child killers. When you pass the southern border, the PKK's name suddenly changes. It becomes the YPG [People's Protection Units]. There is no A, B or C of terrorism. All types of terrorism are bad and need the necessary response. In case of necessity, we won't hesitate to stop the head of the terror outside of our borders, just like we did during the Euphrates Shield," he said.
He also touched on Thursday's terrorist attack in Barcelona and called for fighting against all terrorist organizations together "without exception."
"Unfortunately, Turkey disapprove some European countries' unpleasant attitude towards both the PKK and FETÖ terrorist organizations," he said.
The statement says that the number of terrorist who have surrendered increased to 274.
The statement suggested that only 61 joined the terrorist group in the first eight months of 2017. The number was 570 in last year.
Security forces killed 58 PKK terrorists in last week's operations, a military statement said on Friday.
The General Staff said the terrorists were killed in the southeastern provinces of Şırnak and Hakkari.
Seven soldiers were killed and 12 injured in the course of the counterterrorism operations.
A large amount of illegal firearms and ammunition was recovered, including anti-aircraft rounds, rocket-propelled grenades and a sniper rifle.
Also, 2,500 kilograms of ammonium nitrate used for making explosives, 38 hand grenades, two anti-tank rounds and over 118,000 packets of contraband cigarettes were also found.
Eight PKK shelters and depots were destroyed.
Meanwhile, two terrorists in the eastern province of Tunceli who refused to surrender to security forces during an operation blew themselves up after a shootout with security forces.
