Update on PKK Violence (June 1-15, 2007)

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 001571 SIPDIS QENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PTER PREL PGOV TU IZ SUBJECT: Update on PKK Violence (June 1-15, 2007) REF: ANKARA 1427 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 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) In the first half of June 2007, 17 security personnel died in PKK-related violence. During the same period 37 security officials were wounded in action (WIA). This reflects a significant increase so far in June: In the entire month of May, 15 security forces were KIA, 52 wQded. A civilian was injured when he stepped on a land mine. ¶3. (U) In the first half of June the body of a PKK terrorist was found in the field during counterinsurgency operations and 22 PKK terrorists were arrested, including six who surrendered. On two occasions, June 11 and 14, the PKK intimidated groups of civilians. One incident involved forest workers in Bitlis and the second group was marble workers in Diyarbakir. On both occasions the PKK robbed the workers but did not hurt them. ¶4. (U) The PKK denied responsibility for a June 15 bomb blast that wounded seven people in Turkey's largest Kurdish city, Diyarbakir. The bomb, hidden in a bicycle seat, exploded near a bus stop often used by military personnel; one of those injured was a soldier. "The way the incident happened and the type of explosive used indicates who did it," Interior Minister Osman Gunes said, in an apparent reference to the PKK. He said a detailed statement would be made after the police completed their investigation. ¶5. (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. ¶6. (U) Activity as reported by TGS website: CLASHES NUMBER May 2007 (one month) 40 June (first half) 20 CASUALTIES Security Forces May 2007 (one month) 15 KIA, 52 WIA June (first half) 17 KIA, 37 WIA PKK May 2007 (one month) 1 KIA, 53 captured/arrested June (first half) 1 KIA, 22 captured/arrested CACHES RECOVERED May 2007 (one month) 113 June (first half) 30 ¶7. (U) Following are statistics for 2007 to date: TURKISH SECURITY FORCES KIA WIA JANUARY 1 2 FEBRUARY 1 0 MARCH 5 4 ANKARA 00001571 002 OF 002 APRIL 18 16 MAY 15 42 JUNE (first half) 17 37 TOTAL 57 111 CIVILIANS KIA WIA JANUARY 0 0 FEBRUARY 1 0 MARCH 0 0 APRIL 1 0 MAY 11* 18* JUNE (first half) 0 8 TOTAL 13 26 * 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 JUNE (first half) 1 22 TOTAL 18 159 * Includes PKK suicide bomber from May 22 attack in Ankara WILSON