Turkish jets ‘neutralize’ dozens of PKK terrorists in N. Iraq

Turkish jets "neutralized" 26 PKK terrorists including a senior member as part of counterterrorism operations in northern Iraq, the military said Friday.

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

In a statement, the Turkish General Staff said the fighter jets had conducted airstrikes targeting the terror group on June 12 in Qandil region.

Airstrikes on PKK targets in northern Iraq have been carried out regularly since July 2015, when the PKK resumed its decades-long armed campaign.

Turkey has launched anti-terror operations in both Qandil and Sinjar regions in northern Iraq, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Monday.

In a separate operation in rural areas of southeastern Hakkari province, Turkish security forces discovered a huge ammunition cache belonged to the PKK group.

Speaking to reporters in Hakkari, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said on Friday that it was the largest ammunition found in İkiyaka Mt. and Düztepe neighborhood so far.

He said 116 Kalashnikov rifles, a DShK heavy machine gun, five infantry rifles, 3 anti-tank guided missile munitions, 13 PK machine guns, five RPG-7, seven designated marksman rifles, and over 400 grenades were seized.

In a separate statement, the army also said a total of 93 terrorists were "neutralized" during counter-terrorism operations across Turkey between June 8-14.

Among them are three senior figures, according to the statement.

Three Turkish soldiers were also martyred and 18 others injured during these operations, the statement added.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey as well as the U.S. and the EU.

In its terror campaign against Turkey, which has lasted for more than three decades, over 40,000 people have been killed, including women and children.