An operation against PKK terrorists in the Nusaybin district of southeastern Mardin province has ended after 82 days of fighting, Turkish security sources said Friday. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, said the operation followed a curfew which started on March 14.
The sources said a total of 496 terrorists were killed, 508 barricades removed, 52 trenches filled in and 1,258 improvised explosive devices destroyed during the nearly three-month operation. A curfew is set to continue as security forces try to locate and destroy explosive devices planted by the terrorists.
During the operation, the PKK tried to slow down the security forces with improvised explosive devices planted inside buildings, gardens, the entrances of homes and under indoor carpets. Security sources added that PKK terrorists used mosques and public buildings as headquarters during the operation as well as schools and health centers.
Throughout the operation, the security forces found many homes wired with explosives or used as food and medicine depots by the terrorists. In addition, the terrorists dug shelters and tunnels to form passages from house to house. The same sources said panic among terrorists in the face of narrowing operation was overheard on the security forces' radios.