At least 27 members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) have been killed in southeastern Turkey in ongoing government operations against the group

At least 27 members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) have been killed in southeastern Turkey in ongoing government operations against the group.

Ankara said in a late Friday statement that the militants were killed in “a helicopter- and warplane-backed offensive” in Turkey's Sirnak province which borders Iraq.

Also five PKK members were detained in the five-day operation in the mountainous region, the statement added.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by much of the international communities, including Turkey, Iran, the European Union, and the United States.