Twelve members of the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) were killed in air operations in southeastern Turkey on Monday, the Turkish military said on Tuesday. The 12 were killed in airstrikes on PKK camps in the town of Yuksekova, in Hakkar province, said the statement released by the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces. PKK ammunition depots and bunkers in the region were also destroyed in the airstrikes, the statement added. Since July, more than 2,000 PKK militants have been killed in security operations across the country, Turkish Interior Minister Selami Altinok said. Authorities have declared security zones, also known as military forbidden zones, in 231 regions in 22 provinces, the semi-official Anadolu Agency quoted Altinok as saying. Tensions have been running high, especially in southeastern Turkey, as major military operations against PKK militants have been going on since July, after a cease-fire fell through. The PKK is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and the United States.
