MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Tensions between Ankara and the Kurds escalated in July 2015 when a ceasefire between Turkey and the PKK collapsed because of a series of terror attacks allegedly committed by PKK members.
"Our security forces have killed 7,600 [PKK] terrorists both within the country and beyond its borders since July 20. The separatist terrorist organization has sustained the largest defeat in its history," Erdogan said Tuesday, as quoted by the Turkish NTV broadcaster.
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.
In March, Erdogan reported that Turkish government forces had killed, injured or detained more than 5,300 militants since the beginning of the escalation.
