Turkey launches Operation Kapan-3 in country's SE

Turkey launched Operation Kapan-3 to eliminate terrorists in the country's southeast, the Interior Ministry announced Monday.

The gendarmerie command launched the counterterrorism operation in the rural area of Hakkari province, the ministry said in a statement.

A total of 825 security personnel, including gendarmerie and police forces, are taking part in the operation.

So far, four shelters have been identified and 17 improvised explosive devices, three hand grenades, a Kalashnikov rifle and a large number of daily use items have been destroyed.

On Aug. 17, Turkey launched Operation Kıran in the country's southeast against YPG/PKK terrorists in the provinces of Van, Hakkari and Şırnak following the launch of Operation Kıran-2 on Aug. 27 in the provinces of Mardin, Şırnak and Batman. Eight more iterations of the operation followed, including operations Kıran-9 and Kıran-10. On Saturday, the operation concluded as the last phases were completed and was immediately replaced by Operation Kapan.

Turkish security forces regularly conduct counterterrorism operations in the eastern and southeastern provinces of Turkey, where the PKK has attempted to establish a strong presence and base. The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) also carries out cross-border operations in northern Iraq, a region where PKK terrorists have hideouts and bases where they can carry out attacks on Turkey.

Operations intensified after July 2018 and have become routine since the beginning of another extensive campaign, Operation Claw, which was launched on May 27 and aimed to entirely eliminate the presence of the terrorist organization in northern Iraq.

Over the course of 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, children and infants.