Turkish security units have started to reach out to families of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) terrorists in order to convince those who live in high mountain encampments to stop violence and call them to return home.
These initiatives called “persuasion operations” helped a total of 282 terrorists to defect from the PKK.
According to reports, only 95 people joined the PKK since the beginning of 2018, and 723 surrendered to Turkish security forces in last two years alone.
A total of 210 PKK terrorists have been “neutralized” as part of anti-terror operations across Turkey and abroad in October.
Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralized" in their statements to imply the terrorists in question either surrendered or were killed or captured.
The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and the United States. The PKK has been conducting armed violence in the southeastern part of Turkey since 1984. More than 40,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the three-decade long conflict.
