Turkish army 'neutralizes' 38 terrorists over past week

The Turkish army "neutralized" 38 PKK terrorists on Turkish soil and in northern Iraq over the past week, the military said on Friday.

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

In a weekly statement, the Turkish General Staff said the army conducted anti-terror operations in Turkey’s eastern and southeastern provinces of Sirnak, Siirt, Diyarbakir, Mardin, Van and Agri, as well as in regions of northern Iraq on Oct. 5-12.

The statement noted that 11 terrorists were neutralized on Turkish soil, while 27 others were neutralized in northern Iraq.

In its more than 30-year terror 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, including women and children.

Separately, the military said that since the launch of Turkey's Operation Olive Branch in Syria’s Afrin region, a total of 4,585 terrorists have been neutralized.

Turkey on Jan. 20 launched Operation Olive Branch to remove YPG/PKK and Daesh terrorists from northwestern Afrin. On March 18, Turkish troops and Free Syrian Army liberated the Afrin district center.