Four PKK terrorists surrender to Turkish security forces in southeast


Four PKK terrorists handed themselves over to security forces in Turkey's southeastern Şırnak province on Wednesday, according to a security source yesterday.

Among the terrorists were two women and two underage boys, said the security source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Recruiting child soldiers to join its lines, the PKK has frequently targeted families in the southeast Turkey, northern Iraq and Syria. The group's human rights violations, such as using child soldiers, have been documented by international human rights groups.

Meanwhile, at least eight PKK terrorists were killed on Wednesday as part of anti-terror operations in eastern and southeastern Turkey.

In the southwestern Hakkari province, two terrorists determined to be responsible for killing a special operations officer last week were killed, according to the governor's office.

The statement also said that the body of a female terrorist, along with weapons and ammunition, was found in the Şemdinli district.

In the southeastern Mardin province, the Turkish Border Security Guard killed a PKK terrorist in the Nusaybin district in self-defense, the Turkish General Staff said in a tweet Wednesday.

Earlier, security forces launched an anti-terror operation in eastern Erzurum's Karayazı district on Monday, according to a statement by the provincial governorship. Two terrorists were killed during the operation, while a security officer got minor injuries, it said.

Separately, another anti-terror operation saw two more PKK terrorists neutralized in Gürpınar district of eastern Van province, the provincial governor's office announced on Wednesday.

The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) also conducted airstrikes in the northern Iraqi regions of Hakurk and Zap, the General Staff said in a statement on Wednesday. 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 been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people.