Turkey launches full-scale counter-terrorism ops

Turkey has launched new phases of its domestic counter-terrorism operations in its southeast, the Interior Ministry announced on Thursday.

Report informs, citing Anadolu Agency, that newly started operations Eren Cudi-Besta and Eren Kazan-Ogul began with the participation of 5,280 security personnel in Sirnak and Hakkari provinces, said the ministry statement.

The new phase operations began simultaneously with the Pence-Simsek and Pence-Yildirim anti-terror operations in northern Iraq last week to neutralize the terrorists, completely remove the separatist terrorist group from the country's agenda, as well as to prevent the transit of terrorists between the so-called shelter areas.

In January, Turkey launched Operation Eren, named after Eren Bulbul, a 15-year-old martyred by the terrorist PKK on Aug. 11, 2017.

As part of these operations, a total of 22 terrorists have been neutralized, 75 collaborative persons held, 666 caves, shelters, and warehouses used by the terrorists destroyed so far, and a large number of weapons and ammunition, food, and life-sustaining materials have been seized.