Turkish military launches offensive against 80 PKK terrorists
22 November 2011, Tuesday / TODAY'S ZAMAN, İSTANBUL
The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) announced on Monday that it began air and ground operations against 80 members of the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Aliboğazı Valley between the Cemişgezek and Hozat districts of Tunceli province on Sunday night.
The offensive was launched when a group of 20 PKK terrorists attacked a gendarmerie post with assault rifles on Sunday night. The gendarmerie unit immediately responded to the terrorist attack, driving the group out of the area. The group then joined 60 more PKK terrorists in the Aliboğazı Valley, where they had boxes of food and winter provisions that they took to caves where they planned to spend the winter.
Gendarmerie and Turkish Air Forces' (THK) units, in Skorsky and Cobra helicopters, launched an attack against the terrorists late Sunday.
The PKK has always given its terrorist militants two weeks to move to their camps in northern Iraq in early November due to weather conditions. However, a radio recording of a senior PKK leader, Fehman Hüseyin, revealed that the terrorist organization had delayed moving to the camps and caves for two weeks. Most of the terrorists are currently moving from mountainous and rural regions to camps and caves, where the PKK terrorists stay for the winter.
Furthermore, a civilian car was attacked in the southeastern province of Mardin on Monday night by unidentified assailants suspected of being members of the terrorist PKK.
Mardin Governor Turhan Ayvaz told the Anatolia news agency that the attack took place in the Nusaybin district of Mardin province and that a sergeant major was killed and a civil servant injured. Ayvaz said Sgt. Maj. Oktay Aydoğan died in the attack, while Rıfat Un, who was wounded, was taken to Nusaybin State Hospital. He added that Turkish security forces have launched a military operation to find the assailants.
The PKK, recognized as a terrorist organization by the US and the EU, has recently stepped up its terrorist attacks against the Turkish military, police and civilians.
Turkish military launches offensive against 80 PKK terrorists
