Türkiye 'neutralized' 90 terrorists in domestic operations last month

Türkiye neutralized at least 90 terrorists in August, a senior official said on Saturday.

At least nine terror attacks were thwarted in the country last month, Deputy Interior Minister İsmail Çataklı told reporters in the capital Ankara,

Çataklı said 60 terrorists were captured alive, while 14 surrendered to Turkish security forces.

Of the neutralized terrorists, 77 were members of the PKK terror group and 13 belonged to ISIS/Daesh, he added.

Turkish security forces carried out a total of 12,563 domestic operations in rural areas against the PKK terrorist organization, including nine large and 29 mid-scale operations.

In Türkiye's provinces, a total of 858 operations were carried out against the cells and collaborators of all terrorist organizations.

In August, Turkish security forces arrested a total of 310 suspects considered to be linked to terror groups such as the PKK, ISIS/Daesh, leftist terror groups, and the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), the group behind the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 in Türkiye.

Security forces destroyed 106 shelters and hideouts used by the PKK, while authorities confiscated 82 weapons and 122 hand grenades, as well as mines and improvised explosive devices, as part of the operations.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the U.S. and EU-has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.

In the defeated 2016 coup orchestrated by FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gülen, 251 people were killed and 2,734 injured.