3 PKK militants reportedly behind assassination attempt against district head killed in Turkey’s southeast

SİİRT – Anadolu Agency

Three outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants suspected to have been behind an assassination attempt against a district head on July 7 and the killing of a district gendarmerie station commander on July 24, were killed in an air strike in the southeastern province of Siirt on Aug. 11, the Siirt Governor’s Office has said in a statement. 

It said gendarmerie and police units carried out the air strike in the Çevrimtepe village in the province’s Baykan district.        

The militants were suspected to be behind the assassination attempt against Baykan district head Mehmet Kocabey on July 7 and the killing of Hakkari’s Çukurca district gendarmerie station commander Staff Sgt. Yakup Akdağ on July 24.
        
Meanwhile, one soldier was killed in an attack carried out by the PKK in the eastern province of Bingöl on Aug. 10. 

Hüseyin Gençer, 26, was killed in the clash in Bingöl’s Yeniyazı village.  

A clash occurred between soldiers who were on inspection and surveillance duty and PKK militants.

Two security personnel and one civilian were wounded when PKK militants opened fire during a security operation. 

Elsewhere, one Turkish soldier was injured in a PKK attack in the southeastern province of Şırnak on Aug. 11.

PKK militants attacked with long barreled weapons and rocket projectors in an area near Şırnak’s Mount Namaz. Turkish soldiers retaliated to the attack, with one soldier being injured in the clash and taken to Şırnak State Hospital for treatment.    

A clash erupted between PKK militants and security forces in the Black Sea province of Trabzon’s Maçka district on Aug. 11

Meanwhile, at least 12 people were detained in Istanbul on Aug. 11 for suspected links to the PKK, according to a police source.       
 
Counter-terrorism police teams made the arrests during an operation in 11 districts that targeted suspects who allegedly received training in Europe.     
   
In total, police sought 18 suspects who allegedly arrived in Istanbul with plans to carry out attacks in the city.        

The suspects who were detained were taken to police headquarters and were sought for extorting money from shopkeepers in the city, the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, said.        

In addition, 32 PKK militants were killed in a military offensive in eastern Turkey during the past week, the military said on Aug. 10.     
   
Operations were conducted in the eastern provinces of Hakkari, Şırnak and Mardin between Aug. 3 and Aug. 10, according to a statement from the Turkish General Staff.        

The military destroyed firearms, bomb-making material, small-arms ammunition, hand-made explosive devices and shelters used by militants.        

The offensive also seized hundreds of kilograms of illegal drugs and more than 5 million packets of contraband cigarettes, believed to be financial sources for the group. 
        
On Aug. 10, six PKK militants, including a senior member, were killed in two separate operations in eastern Turkey, a governor’s office said.     
   
According to statement by the Şırnak Governor’s Office, five PKK militants were killed in the İncebel-Kato mountain region. A cave used by the militants was also destroyed.      
  
Another military operation was conducted in the Malazgirt district of the eastern Tunceli province. A senior PKK member was killed in the operation, the Tunceli Governor’s Office said in a statement.