Off the wire
• Protests in Ecuador leave 83 injured, 47 arrested  • China adds new languages to Diaoyu Islands website  • 1st Ld-Writethru: Chinese warships leave for Sea of Japan for joint drills with Russia  • China's gold reserve rises in July  • Moody's: China advances exchange rate reform, a credit positive  • India's Mars mission sends back beautiful shot of 5,000-km-long canyon system on Independence Day  • Indian PM pledges to provide power to 18,500 villages within 1,000 days  • Japanese war criminal confesses to murder, rape: archive  • Jeb Bush criticizes Obama policies, pledges bipartisanship in Washington  • 1500-year-old pagoda to be restored for Taiwan exhibition  
You are here: 　 Home

Roundup: Turkey faces escalation of violence in clashes with PKK

Xinhua, August 15, 2015 Adjust font size:

The rising toll in clashes between the Turkish security forces and the militants of the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) in Turkey has prompted more security concerns for the escalation of violence.

Three Turkish soldiers were killed and six others injured when the PKK attacked troops in the southeastern province of Hakkari near the Iraqi border on Friday, Turkish military stated.

This attack was just a test by the PKK, according to Emre Ercis, Turkish analyst.

He warned that the security forces should be more vigilant on Saturday, the anniversary of first attacks by the PKK that staged twin attacks on the security forces in Hakkari and Siirt provinces on August 15, 1984 which marked the start of the conflicts.

The PKK describes the date as "the day of resurrection" and may use the day to stage deadlier attacks on security forces.

The Turkish military has already beefed up security measures in the region with air campaign against the PKK targets intensified.

The toll in the clashes that started last month with the PKK's attacks continues to rise.

Almost 40 members of the security forces lost their lives in clashes while 12 civilians were killed in attacks staged by the PKK.

In the air strikes against the PKK targets in Northern Syria where the PKK commanders stations, some 390 militants were estimated to have been killed. More than 40 PKK members were killed in operations conducted within Turkey. More than 40,000 people perished since the year of 1984.

Sedat Laciner, security analyst and academic, said the PKK used the peace process that was launched in 2012 between the government and the jailed leader of the PKK, Abdullah Ocalan, as an opportunity to strengthen its network.

"When you leave a terrorist organization alone for three years and simply watch it to grow in strength, perhaps today's outcome should not be a surprising," he said.

Until last month, the Turkish government had refrained from cracking down on the PKK for the last three years for fear of breaking down the peace process.

According to the roadmap in the peace process, the PKK is supposed to lay down arms and withdraw its militants from Turkey in exchange for the recognition of broader rights for Kurds.

However, the PKK has not given up arms and the government stalled the reform process to address Kurdish grievances.

The political uncertainty in Turkey with no government formed since June 7 elections as well as the threat of the Islamic State (IS) at the Turkish border with Syria complicate Ankara's plans to fight with the PKK.

The month-long talks between the two major parties collapsed on Thursday, edging Turkey to early elections likely in November. In the meantime, Turkey is being ruled by a weak interim government. Endit