Ambulances and police squads were dispatched to the İskenderun district of Turkey’s southern Hatay province after an explosion shook the town center on Oct. 26 evening.
The blast hit the town’s Fener Street, which was closed to traffic after the incident.
Hatay Governor Rahmi Doğan said on Twitter that there were no casualties due in the incident.
He said the explosion took place shortly after security forces neutralized one of the two suspected terrorists, whom they had pursued.
The operation is ongoing, he added.
Late on Monday, Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said the two terrorists involved in the explosion were neutralized.
Following Soylu’s announcement, Doğan held a press conference, detailing anti-terror operations against PKK terrorists in the region.
“As of today, the PKK terrorist organization has been destroyed in the Amanos region and there are no [members] of the PKK terrorist organization left,” he said.
Mt. Amanos – also called Mt. Nur – is known to be used as a hideout by the YPG/PKK terror group.
In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. The YPG is the PKK’s branch in Syria, just across Turkey’s southern border.
Meanwhile, Turkey’s president congratulated security forces late on Oct. 26 for conducting an anti-terror operation in Hatay province in which they eliminated two members of the PKK terrorist organization.
“I congratulate our heroic security forces for their successful counter-terrorism operation in Hatay. I wish [it] to all my Hatay brothers and sisters. May my Lord protect our country from all kinds of attacks, disasters and treacherous aspirations,” Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Twitter.
“Turkey is no longer a country that can be designed, directed and occupied with such attacks. With God’s permission and our security forces’ efforts, we will continue our struggle against terrorism and its supporters within and beyond our borders,” he added.
Hurriyet Daily News