Cablegate: Update On Pkk Violence (October 16-23, 2007)

VZCZCXRO3117
RR RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHAK #2677/01 3031550
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 301550Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4211
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/EUCOM POLAD 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 002677

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PTER PREL PGOV TU IZ
SUBJECT: Update on PKK Violence (October 16-23, 2007)

REF: ANKARA 2608 and previous

(U) Sensitive but unclassified - please protect accordingly.

1. (SBU) This is another in a series of periodic reports on PKK
violence in Turkey. Our primary source is the Turkish General Staff
(TGS) website, which documents contacts and clashes with the PKK as
well as casualties incurred. The TGS does not account for police
casualties and the Ministry of Interior casualty date is not made
public. As a result, actual numbers for total Turkish law
enforcement casualties are higher than the figures in this cable.
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) During the October 16-23, 2007 reporting period, 13 GOT
security officials were killed, including one in a mine blast, while
another 17 were injured in explosions.

3. (U) In the same period, 35 PKK terrorists were killed. Four
PKKers were captured.

4. (U) The TGS website reported one clash between security forces
and PKK terrorists. However, since an October 21 ambush that
resulted in the deaths of 12 soldiers, the Turkish military has been
continuing non-stop operations in the region. Security forces
discovered at least one PKK shelter/cave/cache and seized
booby-trapped land mines; other explosives, including A-4 and TNT;
Kalashnikov rifles; cartridges; hand grenades; pistols; night vision
binoculars; TV sets; satellite antennas; and radios.

5. (U) During the reporting period, security forces detected 15 PKK
explosive devices in SE Turkey, detonating several of them in
controlled fashion before they could explode.

6. (U) The PKK ambushed troops near Daglica, Hakkari Province on
October 21, killing 12 soldiers and injuring 16. Another soldier
was killed in a separate landmine incident.

Seventeen civilians were injured when the PKK detonated an explosive
on a village road near Yuksekova in Hakkari Province on October 21.

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

CLASHES (NUMBER)

May 2007, 40

June 2007, 40

July 2007, 15

August 2007, 12

September 2007, 35

October 1-7, 9

October 8-15, 1

October 16-23, 1

CASUALTIES

Security Forces

May 2007 15 KIA, 52 WIA

June 2007 23 KIA, 51 WIA

July 2007 10 KIA, 14 WIA

August 2007 12 KIA, 30 WIA

September 2007 12 KIA, 32 WIA

October 1-7, 2007 15 KIA, 10 WIA

ANKARA 00002677 002 OF 003

October 8-15, 2007 2 KIA, 3 WIA

October 16-23, 2007 13 KIA, 17 WIA

PKK

May 2007 20 KIA, 31 captured, 3 surrendered

June 2007 34 KIA, 16 captured, 17 surrendered

July 2007 11 KIA, 10 captured,13 surrendered

August 2007 38 KIA, 24 captured, 7 surrendered

September 2007 40 KIA, 15 captured, 9 surrendered

October 1-7, 2007 4 KIA, 4 captured, 0 surrendered

October 8-15, 2007 1 KIA, 3 captured, 4 surrendered

October 16-23, 2007 35 KIA, 4 captured, 0 surrendered

CACHES RECOVERED (NUMBER)

May 2007, 113

June 2007, 50

July 2007, 28

August 2007, 40

September 2007, 119

October 1-7,2007, 24

October 8-15, 2007, 9

October 16-23, 2007, 1

8. (U) Following are the casualty figures for the 2007.

TURKISH SECURITY FORCES (KIA or WIA)

JANUARY 1 KIA, 2 WIA

FEBRUARY 1 KIA, 0 WIA

MARCH 5 KIA, 4 WIA

APRIL 18 KIA, 16 WIA

MAY 15 KIA, 43 WIA

JUNE 24 KIA, 51 WIA

JULY 10 KIA, 14 WIA

AUGUST 12 KIA, 30 WIA

SEPTEMBER 12 KIA, 32 WIA

October 1-7, 2007 15 KIA, 10 WIA

October 8-15, 2007 2 KIA, 3 WIA

October 16-23, 2007 13 KIA, 17 WIA

TOTAL 128 KIA, 222 WIA

PKK (KIA, Captured or surrendered)

JANUARY 0 KIA, 5 captured, 3 surrendered

FEBRUARY 0 KIA, 14 captured,0 surrendered

ANKARA 00002677 003 OF 003

MARCH 16 KIA,15 captured, 7 surrendered

APRIL 16 KIA,8 captured,4 surrendered

MAY 20* KIA,31 captured,3 surrendered

JUNE 34 KIA,16 captured,17 surrendered

JULY 11 KIA,10 captured, 13 surrendered

AUGUST 38 KIA,24 captured,7 surrendered

SEPTEMBER 40 KIA, 15 captured,9 surrendered

OCTOBER 1-7 4 KIA, 4 Captured, 0 surrendered

OCTOBER 8-15 1 KIA, 3 captured, 4 surrendered

OCTOBER 16-23 35 KIA, 4 captured, 0 surrendered

TOTAL 215 KIA, 149 Captured,67 surrendered

* Includes PKK suicide bomber from May 22 attack in Ankara

CIVILIANS (KIA or WIA)

JANUARY 0 KIA, 0 WIA

FEBRUARY 1 KIA, 0 WIA

MARCH 0 KIA, 0 WIA

APRIL 1 KIA, 0 WIA

MAY 14*KIA, 108* WIA

JUNE 1 KIA, 1 WIA

JULY 1 KIA, 3 WIA

AUGUST 1 KIA, 1 WIA

SEPTEMBER 7 KIA, 1 WIA

OCTOBER 1-7 0 KIA, 0 WIA

OCTOBER 8-15 0 KIA, 0 WIA

OCTOBER 16-23 0 KIA, 18 WIA

TOTAL 26 KIA, 132 WIA

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

WILSON

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