PKK terrorists kill 13 civilians: Defense Minister Akar

Forty-eight PKK terrorists were neutralized, including two senior members, in northern Iraq during Turkey’s anti-terror operation that has been completed, the Turkish defense chief said on Feb. 14.

“In searches of a cave, which was taken under control after intense clashes, the bodies of 13 of our abducted citizens were found,” Hulusi Akar said from an operations center in Şırnak on the Turkish side of the border.

At the start of the operation, the victims had been killed to seize the cave complex, Akar said, adding that “all the terrorists in the cave have been neutralized.”

Akar said two terrorists were captured, and the region was mostly cleared of the terror group during the “extremely special and critical” operation in the Gara region.

“The operation has been completed. Our land and air elements returned to their bases and barracks safely,” he said at the operations center on the border in southeastern Şırnak province.

Turkey launched Operation Claw-Eagle 2 on Wednesday against the PKK, which is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the EU.

This article originally appeared in Hurriyet Daily News on 14 Feb 2021.