The Turkish military neutralized three PKK terrorists in anti-terror operations in northern Iraq, the Defense Ministry said in a statement released on Friday.

Armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) neutralized the terrorists in Qandil and Haftanin regions, where the terrorist group’s headquarters are located.

Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralized" in their statements to imply that the terrorists in question either surrendered or were killed or captured.

The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) carry out cross-border operations in northern Iraq, a region where PKK terrorists have hideouts and bases from which to carry out attacks on Turkey. The operations intensified after July 2018 and became routine since the beginning of another extensive campaign, Operation Claw, which was launched May 27 to entirely eliminate the presence of the terrorist organization in northern Iraq. On July 13, the TSK launched Operation Claw-2 as a follow up to the successful Claw-1.

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 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.