Turkish army says 4,571 PKK militants killed since July 22

ANKARA

REUTERS photo

The Turkish Armed Forces has stated that a total 4,571 militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) have been killed since July 22, 2015, while 6,623 have been “neutralized” as part of anti-terror operations. 

The statement said 4,571 militants were killed and 695 were wounded, while 761 were captured and 641 surrendered to the authorities.  

Meanwhile, amid official reports of PKK casualties as part of counterterrorism efforts, the Diyarbakır Governor’s Office issued a statement on the May 10 attack in Diyarbakır targeting a military shuttle, announcing that all three people who were killed in the attack were suspected PKK militants.

Three people were killed and another 45, including 12 police officers, were wounded in the bomb attack targeting a police shuttle. The PKK released a statement on May 11, claiming responsibility for the attack. 

“A car bomb exploded in Batıkent intersection around 4:30 p.m. when the people from the terror group, who were detained on charges of seizing a factory in a province in the name of the terror group, were taken to the hospital for a doctor’s report,” a statement released from the governor’s office read, adding that 16 people who were injured and taken to the hospital after the attack were discharged from the hospital. 

“After the examinations, it was understood that those who died were the suspects,” the statement added. 
Seven suspects were detained in relation to the seizure of a factory in Diyarbakır’s Bismil district, including members of the Democratic Unity Party (DBP), from which Tufan Tunç, Zafer Koluman and Mehmet Argül died in the attack, Doğan News Agency reported.

Three people who detonated the car bomb escaped with a car afterwards, the police said after examining security and surveillance cameras nearby.

The police have begun a search to apprehend the attackers, while security measures have been increased in the province.

Some 200 kilograms of explosives with ammonium nitrate were used in the attack, investigations revealed. 

There were seven suspects and nine police officers in the targeted police shuttle while a one-month-old baby was also wounded in the attack, reported Anadolu Agency. 

Civilians near the scene and sitting at a nearby cafe were among those injured. 

The explosion was heard across the city and resulted in damage to buildings near the site of the detonation 
Meanwhile, a police officer was killed on May 11 during clashes with PKK militants in the southeastern province of Şırnak.

Clashes erupted between Turkish security forces and PKK militants in the Bahçelievler neighborhood. Special operations police officer Ersan Gürpınar was killed in the clashes.

Meanwhile, the Turkish General Staff announced that four PKK militants were killed in operations in Şırnak on May 11.

The total number of PKK militants killed in operations has reached 335, according to the statement issued on the Turkish General Staff’s website.

It also added 12 hand-made explosives were destroyed, increasing the number of explosives destroyed in the province to 927.

Security forces have been conducting operations in locations across Şırnak since March 14 after curfews were imposed on a number of neighborhoods.

As part of the operations, 85 percent of the trenches and barricades set up by PKK militants in central Şırnak have reportedly been cleared so far.