UPDATE ON PKK VIOLENCE (MAY 16-31, 2007)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 001427 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/06/2017 TAGS: PTER ASEC PREL PGOV TU IZ SUBJECT: UPDATE ON PKK VIOLENCE (MAY 16-31, 2007) REF: ANKARA 1230 AND PREVIOUS Classified By: PolCouns Janice G. Weiner for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (SBU) This is another in a series of periodic reports on 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. (C) In the second half of May 2007, nine security personnel died and 23 were wounded in PKK-related violence. During the same period, five civilians died and another eight were injured. Four of these deaths and another four injuries were forest workers on whom the PKK opened fire. The PKK also kidnapped two civilians. In addition, Turkish police told us that they assess that the suicide bombing of a popular market in downtown Ankara, in which six were killed and over 100 wounded, was likely the work of the PKK. ¶3. (U) In the second half of May the body of one PKK terrorist was found during Turkish counterinsurgency operations. Authorities arrested 26 PKK-ers, including one who was turned over by Syrian officials. ¶4. (U) The TGS website reported 20 clashes between security forces and PKK terrorists in the region. Security forces unearthed dozens of PKK shelters and caves 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) STATISTICS CLASHES April 2007 38 clashes May 2007 40 clashes May 1-15 20 clashes May 16-31 20 clashes CASUALTIES Security Forces April 2007 18 KIA, 16 WIA May 2007 15 KIA, 42 WIA May 1-15 6 KIA, 19 WIA May 16-31 9 KIA, 23 KIA PKK April 2007 2 KIA, 47 captured May 2007 2 KIA, 53 captured May 1-15 0 KIA, 27 captured May 16-31 2 KIA, 26 captured CACHES RECOVERED April 2007 109 May 2007 113 May 1-15 76 May 16-31 37 ¶6. (U) Following are casualty figures for 2007 to date: SECURITY FORCES KIA WIA ANKARA 00001427 002 OF 002 January 1 2 February 1 0 March 5 4 April 18 16 May 15 42 TOTAL 40 74 CIVILIANS KIA WIA January 0 0 February 1 0 March 0 0 April 1 0 May 11* 108* TOTAL 13 108 * Includes 6 KIA and 100 WIA from May 22 Ankara bombing. PKK KIA CAPTURED January 5 11 February 0 8 March 9 18 April 2 47 May 2* 53 TOTAL 17 137 * Includes PKK suicide bomber from May 22 Ankara attack. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ WILSON