261 PKK militants killed in security operations in 3 districts: Turkish military

ANKARA

The Turkish Chief of General Staff announced on Jan.2 that a total of 261 militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) have been killed in the ongoing operations in three southeastern districts under curfew.According to the Turkish military, 179 militants have been killed in Şırnak’s Cizre district, 27 have been killed in Silopi and 55 militants have been killed in the Sur district of the southeastern province of Diyarbakır.The three districts have been under curfew since early December, when the anti-terrorism operations by the security forces first started.According the military’s statement, three PKK militants were killed in Cizre on Jan. 1, while three others were detained.In Silopi, five PKK militants were killed on Jan. 1. Fifteen improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were destroyed, seven barricades were removed and two digs were filled.In Diyarbakır’s historical Sur district, one PKK militants was killed while three barricades were destroyed. One school building was set on fire by the militants.In the border district of Nusaybin in Mardin, a clash broke out between the security forces and PKK militants who were trying to cross into Turkey from Syria. The security forces seized six rifle clips, 210 bullets, one sniper binoculars, one grenade, two cameras and two radios.In Şırnak, one suspects was detained on charges of aiding and abetting the PKK militants. One pistol, 14 bullets, three cell phones, two computers and two data storage devices were seized in the search at the suspect’s house.