Davutoglu promises no step back in fight against terror

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said Turkey will never take a step back in its fight against terrorism, especially in the country's southeast.

Addressing the residents of Diyarbakir after performing Friday prayers at the Great Mosque in Sur District, Davutoglu said, "Turkey will never take steps back in its operations against terrorism."

"We are not scared of terror groups, and never will be," he added.

Davutoglu's statements came a day after PKK terrorists launched a car bomb attack in Diyarbakir's Baglar district, killing seven police officers and wounding 27 others including 14 civilians.

The prime minister also attended the funerals held for the policemen along with Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus, Interior Minister Efkan Ala and six other cabinet members.

Davutoglu also criticised media reports claiming that the government was planning to depopulate Sur and promised that the southern provinces that have been targeted by the PKK terror group will be restored.

The longest-running anti-terrorism operation targeting the PKK terrorists in the Sur district of Turkey's southeastern Diyarbakir Province came to an end earlier in March.

Turkey launched a series of operations in December 2015 across southeast Turkey's urban areas to root out PKK terrorists and remove hundreds of barricades and trenches dug by the terrorist group, which has carried out several attacks on security officials after renewing its armed campaign against Turkey in July.

At least 5,359 PKK terrorists have been killed since July 2015, while 355 members of Turkish security forces have died in the same time period.