Another PKK terrorist surrendered to security forces as Turkey’s fight against terrorism continues both within the country and abroad.
With the latest surrender, the number of terrorists who have laid down their arms through persuasion efforts this year now stands at 128.
The terrorist surrendered in the Suruç district of Şanlıurfa province after escaping from the PKK’s Syrian offshoot, the YPG terrorist group, in northern Syria.
Security sources, who spoke to Anadolu Agency (AA) on the condition of anonymity due to media restrictions, said the terrorist is being interrogated.
In Turkey, offenders linked to terrorist groups who surrender are eligible for sentence reductions under a repentance law.
In its more than 40-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.
The dissolution of the PKK has accelerated due to Turkey's successful counterterrorism operations and strategies both at home and abroad. In recent years, Turkey has seen record numbers of PKK terrorists giving themselves up in the face of determined domestic and cross-border counterterrorism operations.
Protests by a group of families in front of the pro-PKK Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) headquarters in Diyarbakır demanding the return of their sons and daughters, who were recruited to fight for the terrorists, has also helped increase the number of people surrendering.
The protest started when Hacire Akar turned up at the doorstep of the HDP’s Diyarbakır office one night after the PKK abducted her son. A week later, on Sept. 3, 2019, families inspired by Akar transformed her solo stance into a collective sit-in protest.
The calls by the families to their children urging them to come back home and surrender, as well as the persuasion efforts by security forces, have been influential. The Interior Ministry recently announced that another family would soon reunite with their child.
Meanwhile, four YPG terrorists were eliminated in northern Syria, the Ministry of National Defense stated on Sunday.
According to the ministry, the terrorists were eliminated while trying to launch an attack in the Operation Peace Spring zone.
Turkey launched Operation Peace Spring on Oct. 9, 2019, to eliminate terrorists from northern Syria east of the Euphrates in order to secure Turkey's borders, aid in the safe return of Syrian refugees and ensure Syria's territorial integrity.
The operation, conducted in line with the country's right to self-defense borne out of international law and United Nations Security Council resolutions, aimed to establish a terror-free safe zone for Syrians to return to the area east of the Euphrates, which was then controlled by the U.S.-backed YPG terrorists.
Since the launch of the operation, Turkey has been supporting every aspect of life in the region, from health to education, security to agriculture. In this respect, efforts to clear bombs and improvised explosive devices were launched and administration duties were given to local councils.
