Mardin Governor’s Office has released a statement, informing that four Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) terrorists were killed in the southeastern province of Mardin, while two more were captured alive.
The statement added said that 4 hand grenades, a gun, 3 unlicensed shotguns, 4 ammunition clips, 1 assault vest, lots of ammunition and documents related to PKK terrorists were also seized.
It is stated that six police officers were mildly injured during the operation and sent to Kızıltepe and Mardin state hospitals for treatment.
An administrative and legal investigation was launched into the incident.
The PKK is designated as a “terrorist organization” by the United States (US) and the European Union (EU), as well as Turkey. There have been repeated clashes between security forces and PKK members since a cease-fire between the government and the PKK’s jailed leader, Abdullah Öcalan, collapsed in July of last year.
Since the settlement process launched by the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government in 2012 with the PKK to end the country’s long-standing Kurdish problem ended in July, nearly 200,000 locals in the Southeast have been forced to leave their homes due to fighting and curfews.
The authorities have been imposing curfews in towns and districts to flush PKK militants from urban areas in Turkey’s mostly Kurdish Southeast since then.