MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Turkish forces killed 5 members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), listed as a terrorist organization in Turkey, during counter-terrorism operations in the country’s southeastern Sirnak province, local media reported Tuesday citing the regional governor's office.
According to the Anadolu news agency, the security forces carried out an operation in the Ugur Tepe region, while the Turkish Air Forces conducted an airstrike on PKK positions in the northern part of the Mehmet Yusuf Mountain.
The agency added that the operations were a part of the ongoing anti-terror operation, which began in the region on November 2. The operation’s death toll increased to 34 PKK militants, including the latest causalities, according to the Sirnak Governor's Office’s statement cited by the media outlet.
Tensions between Ankara and the Kurds escalated in July 2015 when a ceasefire between Turkey and PKK collapsed over a series of terror attacks allegedly committed by PKK members.