15 PKK terrorists 'neutralized' in Turkey, N. Iraq

Turkey forces on Wednesday "neutralized" 15 PKK terrorists in the south of the country and northern Iraq, the military said.

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

The Turkish General Staff said six PKK terrorists were "neutralized" in an air-backed counterterrorism operation in a rural area in the southern Hatay province.

Turkish airstrikes also neutralized nine PKK terrorists in the Gara region, in northern Iraq, the army said in a separate tweet.

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 death of some 40,000 people, including women and children.