Cablegate: Update On Pkk Violence (July 8-15, 2007)

VZCZCXRO6956
RR RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHAK #1840/01 2000918
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 190918Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3029
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEHAK/USDAO ANKARA TU
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC//USDP:PDUSDP/ISA:EUR/ISA:NESA//
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
RUEUITH/ODC ANKARA TU
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J-3/J-5//
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RHMFIUU/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RHMFIUU/425ABS IZMIR TU//CC//
RHMFIUU/39ABG INCIRLIK AB TU
RUEPGAB/MNF-I C2X BAGHDAD IZ

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 001840

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PTER PREL PGOV TU IZ
SUBJECT: Update on PKK Violence (July 8-15, 2007)

REF: ANKARA 1791 and previous

(U) Sensitive but unclassified - please protect accordingly.

1. (SBU) This is another in a series of periodic reports on
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) violence in Turkey. Our primary
sources for these reports are mainstream Turkish press services,
such as the Anatolian News Agency, and international wire services.
While these are more reliable than most Turkish press sources, they
are not necessarily unimpeachable. A major source is the Turkish
General Staff (TGS) website which documents contacts/clashes with
the PKK. Press services sympathetic to the PKK, such as
Neu-Isenburg People's Defense Forces and Firat News Agency, tend to
report higher numbers of the Turkish Security Forces casualties and
are often otherwise unreliable.

2. (U) From July 8 to 15, 2007, three security officials were killed
in action (KIA) or in explosions of improvised explosive devices
(IEDs).

3. (U) From July 8-15, three PKK terrorists were killed in action,
three were captured, and four surrendered, including two who were
turned over to Turkish authorities by Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
(PUK) forces at the border crossing at Habur Gate.

4. (U) The TGS website reported three clashes that occurred between
security forces and PKK terrorists in southeastern Turkey during the
reporting period. Security forces unearthed eight PKK shelters and
caves and seized booby-trapped land mines; other explosive
materials, including A-4 and TNT; Kalashnikov rifles; cartridges;
hand grenades; pistols; night vision binoculars; satellite antennas;
and radios.

5. (U) On July 9, a sheep stepped on a PKK land mine near Semdinli
in Hakkari Province. The shepherd was slightly injured and four of
his sheep perished.

6. (U) On July 9, the PKK raided a mine in a mountainous region of
Hatay Province, stealing three cell phones that belonged to workers
there, as well as food. They also destroyed machinery at the mine
as they departed.

7. (U) On July 10, the PKK detonated a bomb near the Acemoglu Bridge
in Kemah, Erzincan Province as a freight train transporting marble
was passing over the bridge. Two train cars were damaged.

8. (U) On July 10, the PKK detonated a remote-controlled explosive
on a rail line near Pulumur in Tunceli Province. Two rail cars of a
freight train were derailed as a result.

9. (U) Activity as reported by TGS website:

CLASHES NUMBER

May 2007 40

June 2007 40

July 1-7, 2007 5

July 8-16, 2007 3

CASUALTIES

Security Forces

May 2007 15 KIA, 52 WIA

June 2007 23 KIA, 51 WIA

July 1-7, 2007 1 KIA, 4 WIA

July 8-16, 2007 3 KIA, --

PKK

May 2007 20 KIA, 31 captured, 3 surrendered

ANKARA 00001840 002 OF 003

June 2007 34 KIA, 16 captured, 17 surrendered

July 1-7, 2007 3 KIA, -- captured, -- surrendered

July 8-16, 2007 3 KIA, 3 captured, 4 surrendered

CACHES RECOVERED

May 2007 113

June 2007 50

July 1-7, 2007 13

July 8-16, 2007 8

10. (U) Following are casualty figures associated with PKK-related
violence for 2007.

TURKISH SECURITY FORCES
KIA WIA

JANUARY 1 2

FEBRUARY 1 0

MARCH 5 4

APRIL 18 16

MAY 15 42

JUNE 24 51

July 1-7, 2007 1 4

July 8-16, 2007 3 --

TOTAL 68 129

PKK
KIA Captured Surrendered

JANUARY -- 5 3

FEBRUARY -- 14 --

MARCH 16 15 7

APRIL 16 8 4

MAY 20* 31 3

JUNE 34 16 17

July 1-7, 2007 3 -- --

July 8-16, 2007 3 3 4

TOTAL 92 92 38

* Includes PKK suicide bomber from May 22 attack in Ankara

CIVILIANS
KIA WIA

JANUARY 0 0

FEBRUARY 1 0

MARCH 0 0

APRIL 1 0

ANKARA 00001840 003 OF 003

MAY 14* 108*

JUNE 1 1

July 1-7, 2007 -- --

July 8-16, 2007 -- 1

TOTAL 17 110

* Includes 9 KIA and 100 WIA from May 22 Ankara bombing.

WILSON

© Scoop Media