KEY HIGHLIGHTS
In a statement released by Turkish officials on Monday 28th September 2015, revealed that at least 22 Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants were killed in fierce clashes with Turkish security forces in eastern Turkey in the past few days.
The slain bodies of PKK militants were found together with their rifles and ammunition in the mountainous district of Beytussebap in the southeastern and Kurdish-majority Sirnak Province.
On 26th September 2015, at least 15 PKK fighters were also killed in the on-going Turkish Security Forces operations.
Earlier on Monday, gunmen believed to be linked with PKK launched assaults on Police men and fled on a motorcycle. During the incident at least four civilians were left nursing gun wounds.
In another incident, same day, PKK militants allegedly launched a rocket propelled grenade attack against a military convoy in Turkey’s southeastern province of Diyarbakir.
SUMMARY
In the past few weeks, Turkey has been engaged in intensive military operations in the country’s southern border region.
The military have been conducting surgical campaigns against Islamic State (Daesh) positions particularly in northern Syria and on PKK militant’s positions in northern Iraq and in southern Turkey.
Turkey was prompted to retaliate when the militants linked to Daesh committed the deadly bombing in July 20 in Turkish town of Suruc. Suruc is an ethnically Kurdish town located close to the Kurdish town of Kobani. The attack claimed lives of 30 people.
PKK militants have also committed series of attacks against the government officials. PKK militants claimed responsibility for the killing of two Turkish police officers on July 22, saying they were fighting alongside Daesh.
PKK insurgents has been fighting to gain control for the autonomous Kurdish region inside Turkey since 1980s, the gruesome conflict has left thousands of innocent people dead.
