Update on PKK Violence (June 23-30, 2007)

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 001708 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PTER PREL PGOV TU IZ SUBJECT: Update on PKK Violence (June 23-30, 2007) REF: ANKARA 1634 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) From June 23 to 30, 2007, five security personnel, including a village guard, died in clashes with the PKK or in IED explosions. During the same period four security officials, including one village guard, were wounded in action (WIA). So far in June, 23 were KIA and 51 WIA. Casualty figures for June exceed those from May, when 15 security personnel were KIA and 42 WIA. ¶3. (U) From June 23 to 30, 15 PKK terrorists were killed in action and nine arrested, including seven who surrendered to security officials. ¶4. (U) The TGS website reported around ten clashes between security forces and PKK terrorists in the region. Security forces unearthed at least a dozen 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) On June 23, the PKK attacked a Jandarma Station in Ovacik, Tunceli with a tanker truck. The PKK suicide bomber and the tanker driver, who was actually a civilian kidnapped by the bomber died in the incident. ¶6. (U) On June 25 the PKK derailed a cargo train in Gaziantep. ¶7. (U) Activity as reported by TGS website: CLASHES NUMBER May 2007 40 June 2007 40 CASUALTIES Security Forces May 2007 15 KIA, 52 WIA June 2007 23 KIA, 51 WIA PKK May 2007 20 KIA, 31 captured, 3 surrendered June 2007 34 KIA, 16 captured, 17 surrendered CACHES RECOVERED May 2007 113 June 2007 50 ¶8. (U) Following are the casualty figures for the 2007. Note: We are currently updating these statistics. TURKISH SECURITY FORCES KIA WIA JANUARY 1 2 ANKARA 00001708 002 OF 002 FEBRUARY 1 0 MARCH 5 4 APRIL 18 16 MAY 15 42 JUNE 24 51 TOTAL 64 125 PKK KIA Captured Surrendered JANUARY -- 5 3 FEBRUARY -- 14 -- MARCH 16 15 7 APRIL 16 8 4 MAY 20* 31 3 JUNE 34 16 17 TOTAL 86 89 34 * Includes PKK suicide bomber from May 22 attack in Ankara CIVILIANS KIA WIA JANUARY 0 0 FEBRUARY 1 0 MARCH 0 0 APRIL 1 0 MAY 13* 108* JUNE 1 1 TOTAL 16 109 * Includes 8 KIA and 100 WIA from May 22 Ankara bombing. WILSON