Defence Ministry: Five PKK militants capitulate to Turkish forces Video

Türkiye’s Ministry of National Defence has announced that five more members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) have surrendered over the past week as part of ongoing military operations.

According to Zeki Aktürk, head of the Ministry’s press office, two of the militants fled their hideouts in northern Iraq, while the remaining three responded to calls to lay down their arms after being located in a cave, Caliber.Az reports.

Irak’ın kuzeyindeki barınma alanlarından kaçan 2, mağarada tespit edilen ve teslim ol çağrısına uyan 3 olmak üzere toplam 5 PKK’lı terörist daha teslim oldu. #MillîSavunmaBakanlığı pic.twitter.com/JUU3rJWJEe

— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) April 24, 2025

“The Turkish Armed Forces continue to combat all forms of threats and dangers to our nation’s existence,” Aktürk said.

He added that recent search and sweep operations, conducted as part of Operation Pençe-Kilit, led to the discovery and neutralisation of a significant quantity of weapons, ammunition, and other materials in shelters and caves used by militants.

In addition to the surrenders, authorities detained 97 individuals over the past week, including two members of a terrorist organisation attempting to illegally cross the border. A further 1,905 people were intercepted while trying to cross the frontier, Aktürk said.

To recall, as of April 2025, Türkiye has intensified its operations against the PKK, achieving significant results through coordinated efforts by the National Intelligence Organisation (MİT), the Ministry of National Defence (MSB), and the Ministry of Interior.​

In 2024, MİT conducted 42 targeted operations against PKK elements, resulting in the neutralisation of 44 senior members. These operations were primarily executed in northern Iraq (20 operations) and Syria (15 operations), with six high-value targets listed in the red, grey, and green categories of the wanted list. Additionally, MİT carried out 181 drone-assisted operations, neutralising 201 terrorists and destroying 45 critical infrastructure facilities, including energy plants and ammunition depots.

The MSB reported that, throughout 2024, Turkish Armed Forces neutralised 3,038 terrorists across northern Iraq and Syria. These operations also led to the destruction of 1,330 hideouts and the seizure of over 2,450 weapons and 910,000 rounds of ammunition.

Domestically, the Ministry of Interior conducted 19,756 operations between January and November 2024, resulting in 721 terrorists being neutralised—84 killed, 525 captured alive, and 107 surrendering. In Tunceli province alone, 5,071 operations were carried out, leading to the capture of two terrorists.

A significant incident occurred on October 23, 2024, when PKK militants attacked the Turkish Aerospace Industries headquarters in Ankara, resulting in seven deaths and 22 injuries. The Turkish military responded with airstrikes targeting PKK positions in Iraq and Syria.

These comprehensive operations underscore Türkiye's commitment to eradicating PKK threats both domestically and across its borders.

By Aghakazim Guliyev