Ankara Says 92 PKK Fighters Killed in Series of Spring Operations

The Turkish General Staff claimed that during the operations conducted by the Turkish Air Force on April 15 and May 18-23 in the northern Iraqi district of Metina, 80 members of the PKK, including leaders were killed, while twelve militants were killed in the Turkey's district of Nusaybin.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — A total of 92 militants of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) were killed by the Turkish Armed Forces in a number of operations conducted in country's southeastern provinces, as well as in northern Iraqi regions during spring months, the Turkish General Staff said in a statement on Friday.

"During the operations conducted by the Turkish Air Force on April 15 and May 18-23 in the northern Iraqi district of Metina, 80 members of the separatist terrorist group [PKK], including terrorists' leaders were killed. Twelve terrorists were killed in the district of Nusaybin, located in the province of Mardin and in the province of Sirnak," the statement said.

According to the statement, a total number of militants killed in the abovementioned Turkey's regions reached 881.

Tensions between Ankara and the Kurds escalated in July 2015 as fighting between the PKK, considered to be terrorist by Ankara, and the Turkish army resumed. Ankara has imposed several round-the-clock curfews in Kurdish-populated towns, preventing civilians from fleeing the regions where the military operations are taking place.