One hundred and two suspected rebels of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) were killed during a major military offensive underway for five days in the southeast of Turkey Kurdish majority, according to a new assessment on Sunday by a source local security. At least two soldiers and five civilians were killed in the clashes, did we further clarified same source. The military launched Wednesday in conjunction with the special forces of the police a major operation with the objective of dislodging the militants of the rebel movement in urban centers.
A total of 10,000 men supported by tanks were mobilized to this offensive of unprecedented scale that focuses on two towns near the Syrian and Iraqi border, Cizre and Silopi (Sirnak province). The two towns are both under curfew. An earlier toll provided by the army Saturday killed 70 militants.
The armed forces chief, General Hulusi Akar it, paid a visit to his troops Saturday in the region and was informed of the progress of the operation. After more than two years of cease-fire, deadly fighting resumed last summer between Turkish security forces and the PKK, shattering the peace talks in 2012 to end a ongoing conflict since 1984.
The PKK militants, especially young people, have benefited from a two-year lull to settle in cities, digging trenches and erecting barricades to prevent entry of security forces. A strategy that has crippled these towns, forcing tens of thousands to flee the fighting.
With the victory of his party in the parliamentary elections of November 1, the Islamic-conservative President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reaffirmed its commitment to “eradicate” the PKK. These operations have sparked outrage many political opponents and part of civil society.
Diyarbakir (Turkey), December 20, 2015 (AFP) –
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