16 Pkk Militants Captured, Killed Since June

Some sixteen members of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) have been either killed or captured in operations against the outlawed organization since June, Press TV reported.

Speaking at a weekly press briefing, military spokesman Brig. Gen. Metin Gurak stated that Turkish security forces had managed to do away with at least three PKK fighters in June following clashes with the militants.

He went on to note that seven PKK terrorists surrendered to Turkish security forces in the same period, while the military captured six others.

The PKK organization is listed as a terrorist organization by much of the international community, including Turkey, Iran, the US and European Union member states.

More than 40,000 people have lost their lives since the group launched its armed campaign against Ankara in 1984, as part of a quest to establish an independent Kurdish state in southeastern Turkey.

Turkish fighter jets frequently shell PKK strongholds in northern Iraq from where the insurgents apparently launch attacks against Turkish soil.