Turkey kills five PKK snipers in southeast

Fevzi Kızılkoyun – ANKARA

AA Photo

Turkish security forces have killed five snipers from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), who have caused severe casualties in the ongoing operations, in spot-on military operations in the southeastern towns of Sur and Cizre.

In spot-on operations conducted in coordination with specially trained Turkish commandos and special operations police, the five, including two female snipers, were killed after the Turkish military received intelligence that 13 snipers operating on rural posts of the outlawed organization infiltrated Turkey following Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’s (ISIL) siege of the Syrian border town of Kobane in late 2014.

PKK snipers armed with “Kanas,” the rifle PKK militants use for assassinations in the region, pose a major threat to security forces, according to the footnote prepared after intelligence work.

The footnote stated eight snipers were based in Sur, a district inri the southeastern province of Diyarbakır, and three snipers were based in Cizre, a district in the southeastern province of Şırnak. Two other snipers were based in Silopi, another district in Şırnak.

According to the footnote, snipers were seen with bases on the rooftops of empty buildings in videos recorded by air. 

Spot-on operations were conducted in coordination with the “maroon berets,” specially trained Turkish soldiers operating under the Turkish General Staff Special Forces Command, and special operations police in homes allegedly used as terrorist cells by the militant group.

There are still six PKK snipers in Sur and two others in Cizre. Military operations are ongoing to clear the towns of snipers, according to military sources.

PKK snipers have thus far killed 23 of Turkish security forces and have targeted civilians, medical staff, ambulance drivers and caterpillar operators helping security forces during counterterrorism operations. At least 11 civilians have been reported dead in such attacks.

The Turkish General Staff said in a written statement that 33 PKK militants were killed in southeastern Turkey on Jan. 20, bringing the total number of militants killed in military operations to 641, according to government statistics.