Two of the four PKK terrorists killed on July 24 in eastern Turkey's Bitlis by gendarmerie forces have been identified as Eyyüp Çeçan and Mustafa Yaman, who were both in the grey category of Ankara's Most Wanted terrorists list.
On July 24, the Interior Ministry confirmed that four PKK militants were killed in counterterrorism operations. The terrorists included Eyyüp Çeçan, code named Özgür Ruh, and Mustafa Yaman code named Agit Yaman, had a bounty of TL 300,000 each on their heads. The Interior Ministry's Most Wanted list is divided into five color-coded categories depending on the level of threat each terrorist poses. Red marks the most wanted, followed by blue, green, orange and gray.
The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) conducts regular operations to maintain security and fight terrorism, particularly along the southern border and parts of northern Iraq. In July alone, 17 high-ranking terrorists were killed.
In an operation on Mount Tendürek on July 28, Turkish security forces neutralized Uğur Arslan, code named Agir, was in the orange category of the Interior Ministry's wanted list. He had a bounty of TL 600,000 on his head.
Another terrorist on the Most Wanted list, Meryem Aksu, code named Sorhin Eruh, was killed in a July 16 operation, carried out on by the provincial gendarmerie forces in the rural areas of Kulp district. The orange-listed Aksu had a TL 600,000 bounty on her head. In addition, two terrorists in the blue category Taylan Kutlar, code named Şeydo, and Hülya Kül, code named Şevin, with a bounty of TL 1.5 million each on their heads, were also killed.
Furthermore, the Interior Ministry announced Monday that during ongoing counterterrorism operations, four terrorists were killed in the rural areas of Yuksekova district of Hakkari province and one in rural areas of Erzincan province on the same day.
At the beginning of the month, the Interior Ministry said it has carried out 646 counterterrorism operations in rural areas, three of which were large-scale ops and 35 were medium scale. Some 1,409 operations, on the other hand, were carried out in the cities.
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 some 40,000 people, including women and children.
