Two anti-tank missiles seized in PKK hideout in Turkey’s Şırnak

ŞIRNAK – Anadolu Agency

Turkish security forces seized two Swedish-made AT-4 missiles in the southeastern province of Şırnak’s Uludere district in a search conducted against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), the Turkish General Staff said in a statement on Aug. 16.     

It said the missiles were hidden by the PKK in the Biliç Tepe region in a mountainous area after they were brought from Iraq to be used in attacks. 

The General Staff also released a photograph of the missiles seized, not providing any further details of the operation. 

Meanwhile, a 23-year-old gendarmerie specialized sergeant, named Abdulhadi Yılmaz, was killed on Aug. 16 in a counter-terror operation again in Şırnak.

The incident happened as the security forces were running a counter-terror operation in the Namaz Dağı Sori Tepe area of the province.      

In another assault, the PKK militants attacked a military base area in the province’s Güneyçam village with long-barreled weapons and rocket launchers at around 6 a.m. on Aug. 16. Following the security forces’ immediate retaliation, the militants left the scene after a 10 minute-long clash. While the militants were on their way to flee the area, the security forces launched howitzers to their possible vanishing points.

Additionally, three PKK militants were killed on Aug. 15 in Turkish airstrikes in northern Iraq, the military said.         

The militants were planning attacks on Turkish security checkpoints along the border with Iraq, the Turkish General Staff said, adding that the air operation was launched in the Zap region and destroyed the group’s shelters and weapon emplacements.