Istanbul, The Turkish Defense Ministry announced the killing of 1,427 PKK militants in 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 1,427 PKK saboteurs, including 681 in northern Iraq and 746 in northern Syria. Akturk pointed out that the number of militants killed in the Turkish army's operations against the PKK during the past week in northern Iraq and Syria reached 72 militants. He confirmed that 340 people, including 4 militants, were arrested while trying to infiltrate the country illegally during the past week, noting that 863 others were prevented from infiltrating the country. The media Spokesman stressed that the operations carried o ut by the Turkish army outside the borders, specifically 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