Turkish military kills 12 PKK militants in separate air strikes

By  Trend

The Turkish Air Forces has carried out large counter-terrorism operations in the country’s southeastern provinces and in northern Iraq over the past two days, killing at least 12 militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Anadolu Agency reported.

According to the Hakkari Governor’s Office, four PKK militants were killed in airstrikes on June 1 in the southeastern province, Hurriyet Daily News reported.

It stated that the militants were detected by an unmanned air vehicle in the region between Turkey’s border district of Yüksekova and the Mount Spi area of northern Iraq.

Earlier on the same day, six PKK militants were killed in an air strike on the group’s positions in northern Iraq, the Turkish military said.

Turkish warplanes hit the PKK in the Ava?în-Basyan region as the militants were alleged to be preparing for an attack on Turkish border posts, the General Staff said in a statement.

An anti-aircraft weapon emplacement was also destroyed in the strike, the statement added.

Separately, on May 31, Turkish warplanes carried out air strikes on PKK targets in the southeastern province of ??rnak and Diyarbak?r, killing two militants, according to initial findings, the military said in another statement.

One bunker pit was also destroyed during the air strikes conducted in ??rnak’s ?kikayalar and Diyarbak?r’s Lice districts.