48 terrorists surrendered to Turkish forces this year

ANKARA

Forty-eight terrorists surrendered this year after being persuaded by Turkish security forces, the country's Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said Thursday.

Speaking at Anadolu Agency's Editor's Desk in the capital Ankara, he said the YPG/PKK terrorist group rests on the shoulders of women, with their participation in terror acts at 56%.

"All of our institutions are engaged in the fight against terror, but it will end only with the courage of mothers," he added.

A sit-in by mothers, whose children have been kidnapped by the YPG/PKK, in southeastern Turkey started last September. Their persistence has persuaded many young recruits to return home.

Soylu said the eastern and southeastern provinces of Turkey will progress and become the hub for textile production in the next 10 to 15 years.

The interior minister went on to say that Turkey has deported over 7,900 foreign terrorists of 102 different nationalities.

Turkey also banned the entry of over 90,000 foreigners affiliated with terrorist organizations, he added.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union -- has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. The YPG is the PKK's Syrian offshoot.