Turkey Launches Biggest Military Operation in Years Against PKK

An armored Turkish army vehicle escorts military trucks near the southeastern town of Silopi in an operation against Kurdish militants, Oct. 20, 2011. (photo by REUTERS/Stringer)

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By: posted on Wednesday, Aug 1, 2012

For the past five days, the Turkish army has been engaged in the heaviest air and ground operations of recent years against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) around Semdinli in Hakkari province.

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Summary: In its largest air and ground operations in several years, the Turkish military is fighting Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) rebels near Semdinli, in Hakkari province. Officials say the PKK planned an attack to coax the Turkish military into shelling civilian areas. Two Turkish soldiers were killed; PKK casualties total 100. Publisher: Milliyet (Turkey) Original Title: Thermal Camera Training Didn’t Help Author: Published on: Wednesday, Aug 1, 2012 Translated On: Wednesday, Aug 1, 2012 Translator: Timur Goksel Categories : Security Reports / Studies Turkey

Although Turkish civilian and military authorities have been keeping quiet about the operation and have been criticized for keeping the public in the dark, it is understood that the PKK planned to seize Semdinli to trigger a wide-scale uprising in the area. This time, the PKK changed its classic modus operandi of hit-and-run guerrilla operations to capture and hold territory by infiltrating Semdinli in large numbers, attacking security forces and hoisting its flag over public buildings with the idea of lighting the fuse for a Syria-like uprising. The PKK has been training hundreds of militants on how to evade thermal cameras while infiltrating an urban area. The eight-month-long training took place in its Shehidan camp inside Iranian territory.
The PKK plan was exposed when two militants escaped from training and surrendered to Turkish authorities. They said a repetition of the failed Semdinli operation of last year was planned. At the training camp they were told that there was to be no retreat, only a fight to the end until the mission was accomplished.


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