Turkish security forces ‘neutralize’ PKK terrorists in northern Iraq, Turkey

An air-backed anti-terror operation carried out in Hakurk, Zap and Haftanin regions in northern Iraq killed four PKK members, said the Turkish Defense Ministry on May 7.

The members of the terrorist organization were identified during the reconnaissance and surveillance activities in the area, the ministry said on Twitter. The country's anti-terror operations continue without respite, the ministry added.

Turkish authorities often use the term "neutralize" to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.

The PKK has its headquarters in northern Iraq.

Turkish security forces "neutralized" three armed terrorists in the country's southeast, the country's Interior Ministry also said on May 7.

The terrorists have been neutralized by the provincial gendarmerie special operations forces in the air-backed anti-terror operation in the countryside of Adıyaman province, the ministry said in a statement. The operation in the region is still underway, it added.

In more than 30 years of clashes between Turkey and the PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union, over 40,000 people have died.