Two police officers killed in PKK attacks
TUNCELİ – Doğan News Agency
CİHAN photo
At least two Turkish policemen were killed in attacks by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) on Sept. 8.PKK militants have opened fire on a police officer’s car in the eastern province of Tunceli, killing the officer and wounding his daughter.
Kadri Özkara, 55, was driving on the Tunceli-Erzincan road along with his daughter at around 10 a.m. on Sept. 8. While proceeding toward Tunceli, also known as Dersim, Özkara saw armed PKK militants blocking the road and attempted to escape the road block.
Militants opened fire on the car, badly injuring Özkara. The officer was taken to Tunceli State Hospital but later succumbed to his injuries.
Özkara’s daughter received minor injuries in the incident. The militants later set Özkara’s car alight and fled the scene.
Security forces have launched a wide-scale operation in the region to apprehend the PKK militants responsible for the attack.
The PKK’s military wing, the People’s Defense Forces (HPG), have been controlling parts of the road for the past two weeks, according to local reports.
In a separate attack with improvised explosive devices, PKK militants targeted a police car in the southeastern province of Mardin's Dargeçit district.
One policeman, who was seriously injured as his three colleagues in the car, succumbed to his wounds in hospital.