Anti-PKK operations ‘within legal boundaries’: Mardin Governor’s Office

MARDİN

Ongoing operations in areas of the southeastern province of Mardin are proceeding “within legal boundaries,” the local governor’s office has claimed amid growing concern following allegations of human rights abuses in one village.

The Mardin Governor’s Office said an operation against outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants in the area had begun after “terror” activities were determined to be taking place and that militants were attempting to spread terror to western provinces, especially the Mediterranean region. 

In the operation, a number of shelters and depots were spotted in the Koruköy village of Nusaybin, the statement said, noting that four leading figures of the organization had been killed while a special operations soldier had been wounded.  

In contrast to the portrayal in some media outlets and on social media, the operations have been carried out “within the rules of the state of law” and that the life and property security of local civilians had been kept as a priority.

A delegation from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) was not permitted to enter Koruköy.

Meanwhile, a day earlier on Feb. 20, police teams in Istanbul also carried out raids on seven addresses against the PKK, seizing 111 kilograms of materials that can be used to make bombs. The raids were in connection to a wanted suspect who has been sought for two days as part of another investigation in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır. In the raid in Diyarbakır, 85.5 kilograms of explosives were found.

In anti-PKK operations conducted outside the country, Turkish jets struck 10 targets of the group in the Zap area of northern Iraq and rural parts of the Turkish border province of Hakkari, the Turkish Chief of General Staff announced Feb. 21. 

The operation began following intelligence, and the targets included caves and shelters that were identified as being used by PKK militants.