Turkey increases anti-terror operations by 150 pct in 3 years: minister

Source: Xinhua| 2019-11-21 04:07:48|Editor: yan
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ANKARA, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- The number of operations against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) by Turkey has increased by 150 percent in the last three years, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said on Wednesday.

The number of military operations against the PKK raised from 40,000 to 101,000, the minister said while addressing to the lawmakers at the parliament's planning and budget commission.

During this period, 1,144 terrorists were killed, Soylu added.

The PKK, which has launched a military campaign against Ankara for more than 30 years, is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the EU. The group often uses northern Iraq as a base to plan cross-border terror attacks in Turkey.

In the first 10 months of 2019, a total of 289 PKK members surrendered to Turkish security forces by persuasion efforts, the minister stated.

A total of 121 PKK members were killed and nearly 229 caves, shelters, and warehouses were destroyed in anti-terror Operation Kiran which was launched on Aug. 17 in the southeastern part of Turkey, according to the minister.

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