The Turkish Defense Ministry announced the killing of / 1327 / PKK militants in the military operations carried out by the Turkish army against the party's militants in northern Iraq and Syria during the current year. The Spokesman for the Turkish Defense Ministry / Zeki Akturk / said in a media briefing today, Thursday: The operations of the Turkish army in northern Iraq and Syria during the current year, which focused on strikes carried out by Turkish fighter jets, resulted in the killing of / 1327 / PKK saboteurs. Akturk indicated that the number of militants killed in the Turkish army's operations against the PKK during the past week in northern Iraq and Syria amounted to / 57 / PKK militants. He confirmed that 328 people, including 9 militants, were arrested while trying to infiltrate the country illegally, during the past week, bringing the number of those arrested since the beginning of this year to 5,543 people. The media Spokesman stressed that the operations carried out by the Turkish army outsi de the borders, specifically in northern Iraq and Syria, are primarily aimed at securing its borders and that the goal is not to violate the sovereignty of either country. He added that the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has taken the Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq as its stronghold, and is active in many cities, regions and valleys, launching attacks on the Turkish interior from there, and that the Turkish army is working hard to dry up the sources of terrorism. Source: National Iraqi News Agency