The country’s interior ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that the aim of Operation Yildirim-4 is to “completely eliminate the separatist terror group from the country's agenda and to neutralize terrorists taking shelter in the region," reported the state-owned Anadolu Agency (AA).
The Turkish government uses the term “neutralized” to denote that the person in question has surrendered or has been killed or captured.
The statement added that 1,006 security personnel from the country’s different armed forces, including gendarmerie commandos, gendarmerie special operations and police special force, are involved in the new phase of the operation.
The three other phases of the operation, all launched in July, still continue in different parts of the country’s east and southeast. So far, the three phases have resulted in the reported “neutralization” of eight PKK fighters, destruction of 24 caves, shelters and storages of the group and seizure of many weapons, ammunition, and food, according to the statement.
The PKK is an armed opposition group which has fought a decades-long war with the Turkish state for greater political and cultural rights for Kurds in Turkey.
Turkey routinely launches land and air operations against the group at home, in the Kurdistan Region, and in Iraq’s disputed territories of Shingal and Makhmour. It also attacks Kurdish forces in northern Syria, accusing them of fostering ties with the PKK.
Ankara has launched an air and ground military operation against the PKK since June 15, controlling a vast area on its borders with the Kurdistan Region by setting up several military bases. Its bombardments have killed seven civilians and injured others, but Turkey has not acknowledged any civilian casualties.
The Turkey-PKK conflict has resulted in the deaths of over 40,000 casualties so far, according to the International Crisis Group (ICG) which has also reported 5,001 deaths in the conflict between July 20, 2015 to July 20, 2020.
.webp&w=3840&q=75)
.png&w=3840&q=75)