Turkey’s forces kill 69 Kurdish fighters in 4 days of military ops – sources
At least 69 Kurdish fighters and 2 Turkish officers have been killed in four days of military operations near the Syrian and Iraqi borders against the members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in southeast Turkey, military sources told Reuters.
One Turkish officer was killed in the town of Cizre and another died in clashes in Sur district in the city of Diyarbakir, the army said.
READ MORE: Turkish police use water cannon against pro-Kurd protesters in Diyarbakir
Şırnak’ta HDP'li vekil Ferhat Encü ve belediye eş başkanlarının olduğu eve baskın
https://t.co/om99j8rawwpic.twitter.com/G9cXucGr0B
— imc tv (@imc_televizyonu) December 16, 2015
Most of the Kurdish militants killed were in the towns of Cizre and Silopi, which have predominantly Kurdish populations.
Turkiga oo 10 kun oo askari gudaha u geliyay Cirze & Silopi iyo hawlgalo ay ka wadaan… https://t.co/1LlofN9QLmpic.twitter.com/Z4IyXAgceJ
— Mohamed Ali Madka (@madkacali) December 18, 2015
The towns are currently the focus of Ankara’s operations, where it has deployed about 10,000 troops. On Saturday, the troops were visited by the head of the armed forces, General Hulusi Akar.
Kurdish militants and politicians have accused Turkish military of turning their homes into piles of rubble.
VIDEO:- Dagaalka magaalooyinka Cirze & Silopi https://t.co/8wEelW5zajpic.twitter.com/3teUThrKM8
— Ibrahim (@deercali) December 18, 2015
"Are you trying to be heroic by sending six generals and 10,000 soldiers against a few PKK (members) in Cizre?" the leader of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party Selahattin Demirtas asked the government, as cited by AFP.
Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to continue the operation until the area is cleansed of Kurdish militants.
68 #PKK militants killed in operations in #Cizre and #Silopi, says security official https://t.co/JzaOMfm01Zpic.twitter.com/t61MlJlgF2
— Hurriyet Daily News (@HDNER) December 19, 2015
“You will be annihilated in those houses, those buildings, those ditches which you have dug,” he said.
Tanklar Yenişehir mahallesine tekrardan giriş yaptı . Çatışmalar siddetlendi. #CizreyeSilopiyeSesVerpic.twitter.com/myjkqkiZmW
— Faruk Encu (@FaruqEncu) December 16, 2015
Demirtas, in his turn, asked Turkish authorities to clarify what exactly they meant by “cleansing operation.”
Tanks & troops on the streets in #Cize & #Silopi; all images by Yeni Safak. #Turkey#Kurdspic.twitter.com/K8FbA93TY8
— Inga Rogg (@ingarogg) December 17, 2015
"You are cleaning whom from where? You can only clean the sewage of this country, and that's it," he said. "We are right and we will win... What the government is doing has no legal basis.”
According to Demirtas, “by conducting an operation with such an amount of forces, bombing cities, sending soldiers on the people you only show, in fact, how helpless you are.”
'Diyarbakır'daki Rus ajanları', İspanya vatandaşı çıktı!
https://t.co/aA8c4VT3IFpic.twitter.com/2Lwx8wH1FJ
— Diken (@DikenComTr) December 19, 2015
However, a senior Turkish official told AFP that peace talks can only resume if Kurdish fighters surrender.
"We need to see concrete results. There must be no single armed element in Turkey," said the official. "We cannot direct our resources against IS in an effective way because of the PKK, especially in border regions."
Diyarbakır'da terör saldırısı: 1 asker şehit oldu https://t.co/YpZFGJGGvKpic.twitter.com/B3ulQjQU3U
— ANADOLU AJANSI (@anadoluajansi) December 19, 2015
Ankara has been conducting military operations in southeast Turkey since summer 2015. Tensions have been mounting for months as security forces have been battling Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants after a ceasefire collapsed in July.
#Turkey:Kurds protest Turkish regime brutality in Kurdistan & chant "Guerilla" referring to Kurdish fighters of #PKKpic.twitter.com/XEDHF7MoV3
— curdistani (@curdistani) December 19, 2015
The Human Rights Foundation of Turkey said that at least 52 curfews have been imposed since mid-August across seven provinces in the region, affecting areas where some 1.3 million people live.
The PKK, which was founded in 1978, has been fighting the Turkish state since 1984 for Kurdish self-determination. Kurds make up between 10 percent and 25 percent of Turkey’s population. The organization is considered as a terrorist group by Turkey, the US and NATO.
Inside #Cizre inhabitants are in streets agst Turkish terror saying "#PKK is people, people is there".
#TwitterKurdspic.twitter.com/oCTBUpQd4c
— Yuunus Akcaa (@yunus4akca7) December 19, 2015
Local sources say #Silopi started day with bombs and shelling. Homes in Basak neighborhood burning (Yesterday photo) pic.twitter.com/EfL4wSpTcR
— Mutlu Civiroglu (@mutludc) December 17, 2015