Turkish military kills 9 PKK terrorists in N. Iraq

military killed nine PKK terrorists in an air-supported operation in northern Iraq, the Defense Ministry said yesterday.

The terrorists were killed after surveillance and reconnaissance devices determined their location in the Metina region, the ministry said.

The statement continued by saying that the operations against the terrorists will continue resolutely.

PKK terrorists often hide out in northern Iraq, across Turkey’s border, to plan attacks in Turkey.

The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) regularly conduct cross-border operations in northern Iraq, a region where PKK terrorists have hideouts and bases from which to carry out attacks in Turkey.

Turkey has long been stressing that it will not tolerate terrorist threats posed against its national security and has called on Iraqi officials to take the necessary steps to eliminate the terrorist group.

Turkish security forces on Sunday also destroyed eight caves in eastern Turkey, and seized a huge cache of arms and ammunition in the country’s southeast, determined to have been used by the PKK terrorist organization.

Turkish gendarmerie forces found the caves in rural areas of the eastern Tunceli province, according to the governor’s office.

The caves, planned as hideouts by the PKK terror group, were destroyed as part of Operation Eren-7 Mercan Munzur.

In the caves, the gendarmerie units seized a large cache of ammunition and improvised explosives.

In a separate raid Saturday, gendarmerie forces also seized arms and ammunition in the southeastern Hakkari province of Turkey, the governor’s office reported.

As part of the operation, another large cache of ammunition, improvised explosives, mines, communication devices, and other materials that are used in making explosives were seized.

The governor’s office said the operations in the region are still underway.