373 PKK militants killed in five months: Turkish army

Handout photo

Clashes between Turkish soldiers and members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) have killed 461 people this year in almost 1,000 operations in the country's southeast, the military was quoted as saying by local media today.

Some 373 PKK militants were killed in operations carried out over five months, and 88 Turkish soldiers in the last nine months, the army was quoted as saying by the private NTV television network. Fifty-four of the killed soldiers were professional fighters, while 34 were conscripts.

The army has staged 974 operations over the last six months to drive out the PKK, which often stages ambushes against Turkish forces in the Kurdish-majority southeast, according to NTV.

In recent months Ankara has staged several offensives involving thousands of ground troops backed by helicopter gunships and F-16 fighters jets to crush a spike in PKK assaults.

Turkish army operations target PKK hideouts inside the country as well as across the border with Iraq, where authorities claim militants are holed up to launch strikes inside Turkey.

Some government officials believe Syria's embattled regime is helping the PKK in retaliation for Turkey's support for rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad's forces.

The PKK is recognized as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. (ANKARA - Agence France- Presse)

Turkish jets deter Syrian helicopters in new encounter

Turkish Armed Forces photo

Turkish F-16s scrambled three times yesterday to counter Syrian helicopters flying close to the border, the Turkish army has announced.

The General Staff published a statement on its website, saying a "scramble" was launched from İncirlik air base in the southern province of Adana on three separate instances as Syrian helicopters approached the Turkish border.

The scramble alerts were given at 9:16 a.m., 2:52 p.m. and 5:11 p.m. A Syrian helicopter came as close as two miles from the Turkish border in the instance at 5:11 p.m.

The helicopters were identified as type MI-8 and MI-17 Russian-made assault transport helicopters. Both models could be used as transport helicopters or could be fitted with weaponry to act as a gunship.

The General Staff's statement did not mention whether the helicopters were acting as transport vehicles or gunships.

The Turkish Army altered its rules of engagement regarding Syrian military targets after the downing of a Turkish jet by Syria on June 22. Any Syrian military vessel approaching the Turkish border will be considered a "threat," Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said at a party meeting on June 26.

"Syria has become a clear and present danger for Turkey," Erdoğan said the same day.
(ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News)

Turkish military: Turkish warplanes scramble on Syrian helicopters

Turkish warplanes scrambled thrice on Saturday when Syrian helicopters came too close to the Turkish airspace near the Turkish-Syrian border.

Turkish warplanes scrambled thrice on Saturday when Syrian helicopters came too close to the Turkish airspace near the Turkish-Syrian border, Turkish military said Sunday.

A statement from the Turkish General Staff said two F-16 fighter jets were scrambled from bases in Incirlik and Batman in each of the three separate incidents to patrol the area.

The statement said one MI-17 and two MI-8 helicopter gunships flew as close as 4 miles to the Turkish airspace over . (Anatolia News Agency)

Turkish Army denies WSJ report on jet downed by Syria

Turkey’s military has denied a Wall Street Journal report that claimed a Turkish jet was shot down in Syrian airspace, arguing instead that the incident occurred over international waters while posting a map to corroborate its position.

“According to the results of an administrative probe and radar tracks, our jet was shot down 13 nautical miles off of Syria, one nautical mile outside Syria’s 12-nautical mile territorial waters, and crashed 16 kilometers (8.5 nautical miles) off the Syrian coastline after losing altitude and speed,” the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) said in a written statement it posted on its website yesterday.

The army said it felt the need to clarify the incident following the WSJ report that said Turkey’s explanations about the incident raised question marks. An anonymous American official has said the incident occurred close to the Syrian coast and that there was no indication that the jet was downed by a laser-guided missile, as would be necessary if it were hit in international airspace.


Despite the army’s claims that the shooting took place outside of Syrian airspace, the military did not challenge claims that it may have been shot down by an anti-aircraft weapon.

The statement repeated that the jet was unarmed and flying solo as it tested Turkey’s radar capabilities – indirectly responding to the WSJ’s report that it was testing Syria’s radar reactions.

Foreign Ministry officials echoed the military’s statement, adding that they were not in a position to make comments about press reports. “We have not been notified by American officials on these points raised by this newspaper,” an official said.

The army also said there had been no progress in locating the plane’s two missing pilots but said the U.S. vessel Nautilus was expected to reach the region late today to locate the wreckage of the Turkish aircraft.

The plane was shot down on June 22, touching off a new row between Damascus and Ankara over the circumstances surrounding the incident. (ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News)

Turkish Army: No negligence on Dağlıca

Turkish army continues operations in the region after Dağlıca attack. AA photo

The military said there was no logistical or intelligence negligence regarding Tuesday’s terrorist attacks in the Dağlıca district of Hakkari province on the Iraqi border, as suggested by some media reports.

“It has been verified that there was no negligence on this incident. The attacked unit heroically fought and neutralized 15 terrorists in front of their positions,” the army said in a written statement responding to criticisms that the unit was unprepared for such an attack and intelligence reports were ignored.

It confirmed that 31 terrorists had been neutralized as a result of operations carried out by special units immediately after the attack took place.

“The infantry battalion was also supported with a squadron of commandos. The unit has all personnel weapons and vehicles,” the statement said. It also indicated that the attacked station was a small station and not a main building. “It is a temporary base equipped with a tank, with 52 personal trained for homeland security purposes,” it said.

The statement added that unmanned aerial vehicles had immediately been deployed to the region.

It is also indicated that the attack was not made on the main Dağlıca base, but was 10 kilometers away from the base. “Describing this attack as the second Dağlıca attack is wrong, as the location and results are different,” the statement said. Terrorists attacked the main Dağlıca base in 2008, killing 12 soldiers and capturing eight. (ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News)

26 PKK terrorists killed in operations

Turkish Air Force hit targets belonging to the terrorist organization in north of Iraq as part of operations against the organization.

Turkey's General Staff on Wednesday said that 26 PKK terrorists were killed and 1 terrorist was arrested following a terror attack on a military outpost in Yuksekova town of the south-eastern province of Hakkari.

In a statement posted on their web site Wednesday, the Turkish General Staff said that the jets of Turkish Air Force hit targets belonging to the terrorist organization in north of Iraq as part of operations against the organization.

Eight Turkish troops were killed and 16 others were wounded in Tuesday's terrorist attack. We wish God's mercy to our dear martyrs and offer our condolences to their families, relatives, colleagues and the Turkish nation. We also wish speedy recovery to our troops injured in Tuesday's terror attack, the Turkish General Staff also said. (Anatolia News Agency)

3 PKK terrorists killed in southeastern Turkey

Hürriyet Photo

Turkey's state-run television says Turkish troops have killed three alleged members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in a clash in the country's southeast.

TRT television says the clash occurred near the southeastern town of Cukurca in Hakkari province early today.

Cukurca is located in the country's southeastern tip where Iraq, Iran and Turkey meet.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. (ANKARA - The Associated Press)

3 terrorists killed and 2 terorists captured

Three PKK terrorists were killed in a clash with Turkish security forces in Ovacik town of the eastern province of Tunceli.

Three PKK terrorists were killed in a clash with Turkish security forces in Ovacik town of the eastern province of Tunceli on Tuesday.

In a written statement released Wednesday, the Governorship of Tunceli said that three terrorists were killed after they refused to surrender to Turkish security forces on Tuesday evening.

Meanwhile, in a separate operation, two PKK terrorists, including a woman, were arrested by Turkish security forces in downtown Tunceli on Tuesday.

The PKK, is a terrorist organization which has since 1984 been fighting an armed struggle against the Turkish state for an independent state. PKK killed around 30,000 Turkish soldiers, policemen, village guards, teachers, engineers and other Turkish citizens in the past 28 years.

PKK is listed as a terrorist organization internationally by a number of states and organizations, including the United States and the European Union. (Anatolia News Agency)

Clash with PKK in Siirt; '1 PKK member killed'

One PKK member was killed in rural area of Siirt in an army operation against the outlawed organisation…

The army forces came across with a group of PKK members at about 2pm on Friday inat Mazidagi point of Dagdosu village of Siirt’s Eruh town in southeastern Turkey. The group of 20 PKK members was divided into 2 groups after the encounter. A female member of the group was killed during the clash between the PKK and army forces.

Reinforcements were directed to the area where the reportedly ongoing clashes are taking place. (DHA)