PKK VIOLENCE CONTINUES, DEFENSE MINISTRY CLAIMS

UNCLAS ANKARA 003948 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PTER PREL TU IZ SUBJECT: PKK VIOLENCE CONTINUES, DEFENSE MINISTRY CLAIMS ALMOST 6000 SECURITY FORCES KILLED SINCE 1984 REF: A. ANKARA 3775 ¶B. ANKARA 3476 AND PREVIOUS ¶1. (SBU) This is another in a series of periodic reports on PKK violence in Turkey (see ref b). Our primary sources for these reports are mainstream Turkish press services, such as the Anatolian News Agency, and international wire services. While these sources are more reliable than most Turkish press sources, they are not necessarily unimpeachable. Press services sympathetic to the PKK, such as Neu-Isenberg People's Defense Forces and Firat News Agency, tend to report higher numbers of Turkish Security Forces casualties. ¶2. (U) According to press reports, two members of the Turkish Security Forces were killed and six wounded over the period June 12 - July 2. Five civilians were wounded. During the same period, 20 PKK terrorists were killed, including 11 in clashes June 23 in Hakkari Province. The press further reported that three PKK terrorists surrendered to Turkish authorities in the Turkey-Iraq border town of Silopi. These are usually PKK members who have voluntarily returned from northern Iraq and seek to leave terrorism behind; typically they provide a debrief to Turkish authorities and reintegrate into Turkish society. ¶3. (U) The Turkish Defense Minister announced in Parliament June 21 that 5968 Turkish security personnel (soldiers and police) were killed and 11,794 wounded in PKK violence since 1984, when the PKK started its violent separatist campaign. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ WILSON