Turkish Forces Launch Airstrikes against PKK, Kill 13 Fighters
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Turkey's armed forces killed 13 Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters on Monday in a series of air strikes in the country's southeastern Siirt province.
F-16 fighters were used during the operation, Sputnik cited Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency as reporting on Monday.
Tensions between Ankara and the Kurds escalated in July 2015 as fighting between the PKK, the Kurdish pro-independence organization considered to be terrorist by Ankara, and the Turkish army resumed.
Ankara has imposed several round-the-clock curfews in Kurdish-populated towns, preventing civilians from fleeing the regions where the military operations are taking place.
According to Turkish officials, over 5,000 Kurdish fighters have been killed in the campaign since mid-December, a figure that pro-Kurdish officials contend includes hundreds of civilians.
