Two privates and a sergeant were killed in clashes between Turkish security forces and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) at a gendarmerie post in Tunceli province early on Friday.
No deaths among the PKK were reported. The clashes erupted in the early hours of Friday, near the Alacık Gendarmerie Post in Tunceli. Security forces had started an operation in the area in an attempt to capture terrorists.
In a similar development, two PKK members were killed near Şırnak highway early on Friday. The two are thought to be part of the group that attacked a police special ops team on Thursday night. Two officers were wounded in this attack and were taken to Şırnak Military Hospital for treatment.
The National Police Department sent an official letter to counterterrorism units across the country in February calling on them to tighten security measures as the PKK has recently stepped up its campaign of violence. The letter warned counterterrorism units that the terrorist organization is preparing for simultaneous attacks and that their primary targets are security forces and police stations. Police department are also stepping up security measures in public spaces such as metro stations, shopping centers and on public transportation.
The PKK, which is fighting for autonomy in Turkey’s mainly Kurdish Southeast, was founded on a Marxist ideology. Turkey has been conducting airstrikes on PKK camps in Iraq’s northern mountains and inside Turkey since August of last year, following an increase in attacks on Turkish troops and civilians by the PKK, which has been fighting for autonomy for the Southeast since 1984. The conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives. The group is labeled a terrorist organization by the European Union and the United States, which has supplied Predator drones to assist Turkey.
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