PKK bomb attack injures 17 soldiers in Turkey’s Hakkari

HAKKARİ

Seventeen Turkish soldiers were wounded after a hand-made explosive was detonated by outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants during a military vehicle passage in the eastern province of Hakkari on July 17, the Turkish Armed Forces has said.The vehicle was passing through the Yüksekova district, which borders Iran and Iraq, when the blast occurred, the military said, adding that the wounded were immediately taken to hospital.The military initially said four of the wounded were in serious condition, but a later statement said none of the injuries were serious.The Hakkari Governor’s Office also confirmed the bombing in a statement.“On July 17, an improvised explosive device attack was undertaken by the separatist terror organization [PKK] against a vehicle carrying military personnel in the town of Esendere in the Yüksekova district,” it said.Meanwhile, security forces “neutralized” 50 PKK militants in counter-terrorism operations across Turkey this week, the Interior Ministry said in a statement on July 17.Authorities use the word “neutralized” in their statements to imply the militants in question were either killed, wounded or captured.The ministry said 30 PKK militants were killed, 14 surrendered, and six others were captured.A total of 53 weapons, including 33 heavy and long-barreled weapons, 1,500 kilograms of material used in making explosives, 17 grenades, and 2,542 various ammunitions have been seized, while 27 improvised explosives were destroyed, and 12 shelters used by PKK militants in the eastern provinces of Diyarbakır, Mardin, Muş and the northern province of Tokat were destroyed, it added.Some 4,363 people were detained in 1,128 operations between July 10 and 17. Among them, 1,366 were detained on terror charges, 396 on cybercrime, and 2,601 on drug-related and smuggling charges.The detentions also include 168 suspects accused of aiding the PKK, 298 for ties to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), 895 for links to the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), and five others who had joined “leftist terrorist organizations,” the statement added.Separately, a shepherd who was reported to be captured by PKK militants in the southeastern province of Şırnak on July 16 was found dead a day later, Doğan News Agency reported.The incident occurred in the Aslanbaşar village of the province as Tayyip Fidan was herding his animals in the early hours of July 16. When Fidan did not show up at home late on the same day, his family notified the gendarmerie forces of the situation. Fidan’s body was found early on July 17 after an operation was launched.