Turkish Prime Minister Vows to 'Clear' Country of PKK Militants

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu says Turkey will "clear" its lands of the Kurdistan Workers' Party militants.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Turkey will "clear" its lands of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said.

On Sunday, at least 16 Turkish soldiers were killed in an attack on two military vehicles in Turkey's southeastern Hakkari Province. PKK militants claimed responsibility for the incident. Following the attack, the Turkish Air Force launched a series of airstrikes against 12 PKK targets.

"The mountains of this country, the plains, highlands, cities will be not abandoned to terrorists… You cannot discourage us from our war on terror. Those mountains will be cleared of these terrorists. Whatever it takes, they will be cleared," Davutoglu said in a press conference Monday, as quoted by the BBC.

In July, after a two-year ceasefire, Turkey launched a military campaign against the PKK in northern Iraq and in southern Turkey, following the murders of two police officers in the southern Turkish city of Ceylanpinar, carried out by the Kurdish militants.

The PKK was founded in the late 1970s. The group is considered to be a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and NATO.