ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Sunday condemns in strongest terms the heinous act of terrorism in which 13 Turkish nationals were martyred in Gara, Iraq, reported. In a statement, Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said, “The government and the people of Pakistan extend their heartfelt condolences to the government and the brotherly people of Turkey, as well as to the families of innocent victims.”
He maintained that Pakistan stands in strong solidarity with the people of Turkey in their fight against the scourge of terrorism. Pakistan reiterates its unequivocal condemnation of terrorism in all forms and manifestations, the spokesperson added. Militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) have executed 13 kidnapped Turks, including military and police personnel, in a cave in northern Iraq, Turkish officials said on Sunday, amid a military operation against the group, according to Reuters.
Forty-eight PKK militants were killed during the military operation, while three Turkish soldiers were killed and three wounded, Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said in a statement. Twelve of the kidnapped Turks had been shot in the head and one in the shoulder, he said. Turkey launched the military operation against the PKK in northern Iraq’s Gara region, some 35 km (22 miles) south of the Turkish border, on Feb. 10 to secure its frontier and find citizens who had been kidnapped previously, he said.