Two soldiers killed in PKK attack in Turkey’s Hakkari

HAKKARİ

Two Turkish soldiers were killed in an attack by outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants in the southeastern province of Hakkari, the military said Dec. 25.

According to a Turkish General Staff statement, the incident, which occurred during an ongoing operation in Hakkari’s Şemdinli district, left another soldier wounded.

The Turkish Armed Forces will “continue its fight against all terror organizations until the last terrorist is killed,” the statement said, conveying condolences to the families of the killed soldiers.

Meanwhile, one soldier was killed and two others were wounded after a grenade “accidently” exploded in northern Iraq on Dec. 24, according to the military’s statement.

The two wounded soldiers were taken to hospital after the incident in northern Iraq’s Batın Tepe area.

Turkish security forces “neutralized” 25 PKK militants across the country last week, the Interior Ministry said Dec. 25.

According to a ministry statement, security forces carried out 1,187 operations on Dec. 18-25.

Of the 25 militants, four were killed, 15 were caught alive, and six surrendered to security forces, the statement added.

During the operations, there were 947 arrests, including 209 suspects for aiding and abetting the PKK, 106 linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and 617 linked to the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ).

Security forces also arrested 3,358 suspects during anti-drug operations.

Some 106 migrants who entered the country illegally were also held by police last week.

Forty-nine shelters and caves used by PKK militants and 20 improvised explosives and mines were destroyed in controlled detonations in the eastern and southeastern provinces of Batman, Bingöl, Diyarbakır, Mardin, Hakkari, Muş, Osmaniye, Tunceli, and Şırnak.

Security forces seized 367 kilograms (809 pounds) of bomb-making materials, one hand grenade, 179 pieces of ammunition, and 10 weapons - including nine long and heavy-barreled weapons.

There were a total of 2,449 nationwide anti-contraband operations, in which 3,358 suspects were captured in 77 provinces, the statement added.

Security forces also seized 1,233 kg of hashish, 277 kg of heroin, 7.56 kg of methamphetamines, 17,766 illicit drug pills, 2.82 kg of synthetic marijuana, nearly 671,000 packages of smuggled cigarettes, and nearly 860 liters of smuggled oil.