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Turkey recorded the largest fall in terrorism across Europe last year, a global terrorism ranking list said.
The Global Terrorism Index 2018 said fatalities from terrorism in the country fell from 659 in 2016 to 123 in 2017.
Across Europe deaths from terrorism reduced 75 percent.
The list based on 163 countries was released by Australia-based think tank Institute for Economics and Peace.
Turkey also showed a reduction in Daesh and PKK presence by 81 percent.
The deadliest terror attack in 2017 was the New Year’s Eve nightclub armed attack that killed 39 people in Istanbul, Turkey.
In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women and children.
At least eight PKK terrorists, preparing for an attack on Turkish bases, were "neutralized" in air operations carried out in northern Iraq, the army said on Thursday.Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralize" in their statements to imply that the terrorists in question either surrendered or were killed or captured.Turkish jets also pounded terrorist hideouts in Sinat-Haftanin, Metina and Hakurk regions, the military said in a tweet.In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people.Turkey 'neutralizes' 515 PKK terrorists in 2018 autumnTurkish jets 'neutralize' 4 PKK terrorists in N. Iraq
Turkish jets 'neutralize' 8 PKK terrorists in N Iraq
Former Peoples’ Democratic Party's (HDP) lawmaker Sırrı Süreyya Önder turned himself in after his jail term was upheld by the Istanbul regional court's 2nd penal chamber.Önder, who was formerly an Ankara MP, was sentenced to three years and six months in prison for “spreading terrorist propaganda.” He will serve his sentence at the Kandıra prison.Before entering the prison, Önder told reporters waiting outside: “I stand behind everything I have done. Greetings to all friends. Peace and democracy will be victorious.”Around a dozen HDP lawmakers are currently in prison pending trial for terrorism-related offenses after their parliamentary immunity was lifted in May 2016.Turkey's government has accused the HDP of having links to the PKK.In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women and children.Turkey 'neutralizes' 515 PKK terrorists in 2018 autumnTurkey approves prison sentences for HDP’s Demirtaş, Önder
Former HDP lawmaker Önder surrenders to security forces
Turkey’s interior minister said on Thursday that Wednesday’s heroin bust of over 1 ton was the largest in Turkish history.“We have witnessed the largest seizure in Turkish history yesterday. The Erzincan Police Department units have seized a total of 1.27 tons of heroin,” Süleyman Soylu said while speaking at an international drug conference in the Mediterranean city of Antalya.Turkish forces seized the heroin in anti-narcotic operations in the eastern province of Erzincan.The confiscation came during a search on the back of a truck after it was stopped at a security checkpoint -- set up upon intelligence reports, he said.Turkey 'neutralizes' 515 PKK terrorists in 2018 autumnSoylu also rebuked the international support given to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) terror organization after underlining an overt link between the terror group and drugs.“We cannot explain with 21st century civilization norms how the PKK terror organization is still receiving weapons, logistic support and legal protection,” he said.According to a police data, Turkish security forces have caught a total of 17.3 tons of heroin in 2018, arresting more than 1,500 suspects. Underlining the PKK's active role in drug trafficking -- as well as that of its "renamed" version, the YPG -- Soylu accused Europe and the U.S. of failing to take a hard stance against the terror group despite its criminal activities and denying Ankara’s extradition requests for most wanted terrorists."If we want a world without terror, we must first have a world without drugs," Soylu said.The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and the United States. The PKK has been conducting armed violence in the southeastern part of Turkey since 1984. More than 40,000 people, mostly civilians, have killed in the three-decade long conflict.
Turkey makes largest ever heroin bust
Turkey’s contributions to the international fight against Daesh are "invaluable," the British ambassador to Ankara said at a panel in southeastern Turkey on Wednesday.Speaking at Gaziantep University, Dominick Chilcott said in Turkish that Turkey and the U.K. face mutual challenges together to ensure both countries grow "more prosperous and more secure."Chilcott also condemned the PKK -- a group listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- calling it an "important threat to Turkey."In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people.“The U.K. is ensuring that PKK networks are uncovered and stymied,” he added.On Britain’s planned withdrawal from the EU, Chilcott underlined that both countries could use the process to strengthen ties with each other.
Turkey 'invaluable' in fight against Daesh: UK envoy