18 PKK terrorists neutralized in SE Turkey

By Sertac Bulur

ANKARA AA) - A total of 18 PKK terrorists were "neutralized" in Turkey's southeastern Diyarbakir, Sirnak and Osmaniye provinces on Wednesday, the Interior ministry said.

Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralize" in their statements to imply that the terrorists in question either surrendered or were killed or captured.

During operations security forces "neutralized" 11 terrorists in Osmaniye, four in Sirnak and three in Diyarbakir, a ministry statement said.

The operations are still ongoing, the statement added.

In its more than 30-year terrorist campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people.

More than 1,200 Turkish security personnel and civilians, including a number of women and children, have been killed since July 2015 alone, when the group resumed its terror campaign.