Turkish Security Forces Kill 3,100 Kurdish Militants in 2015 - Erdogan

Turkish security forces killed some 3,100 militants from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is outlawed in the country, both at home and abroad in 2015, President Tayyip Erdogan said in his New Year's statement on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — "In 2015, about 3,100 [PKK] terrorists were killed in the country and abroad during the operations… Our soldiers are and will be further clearing mountains, and cities," the president said.

The security situation in Turkey deteriorated in July, when 33 pro-Kurdish activists were killed in a suicide bombing in Suruc. Following the attack, the PKK murdered two Turkish policemen, which led Ankara to launch a military campaign against the group.

The clashes intensified earlier in December prompting the authorities to declare a police curfew in areas targeted by the Turkish forces' large-scale operations.

The Kurds, Turkey's largest ethnic minority, are striving to create their own independent state and gain independence from Turkey. The PKK was founded in the late 1970s to promote self-determination for the Kurdish community. The PKK is designated as a terrorist group by Turkey.