TURKEY: SE TURKEY SECURITY INCIDENTS: SEPTEMBER 11 -

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ADANA 000054 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ASEC PTER PINR CASC SUBJECT: TURKEY: SE TURKEY SECURITY INCIDENTS: SEPTEMBER 11 - SEPTEMBER 18, 2009 ¶1. The following security incidents for the period September 11-18, 2009, were compiled by the security assistant at Consulate Adana from RSO sources, to include Turkish security contacts, government officials and media reports. Similar reports have previously been shared informally by e-mail. Post is now sending this information in cable format to ensure wider and more regular distribution. The RSO uses the information to determine the security situation and trends of violence and crime throughout turkey. The RSO also tracks the information by location and shares the information with the Country Team and Visas Viper coordinator. -------------- -------------- -------------- Military Operations against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) as reported by the Turkish General Staff website -------------- -------------- -------------- ¶2. Weapons, Ammunition, and Equipment Seized: Sirnak - 09.13.09: 1 anti-personnel landmine was found and destroyed. Tunceli - 09.11.09: Security forces found and destroyed a hand-made landmine made of 1 kilogram of ammonium nitrate. ¶3. PKK Members Captured or Surrendered: Diyarbakir - 09.16.09: 1 PKK member surrendered. Bingol - 09.13.09: 1 PKK member surrendered. Sirnak - 09.13.09: 1 PKK member surrendered. Hakkari - 09.12.09: Security forces captured a PKK member. Hakkari, 09.09-11.09: 7 PKK members were killed. -------------- -- Media Reports on Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and pro-Kurdish Organizations -------------- -- ¶4. PKK Attacks: Hakkari - 09.15.09: 1 heavy construction machine belonging to a road work company was set on fire. Sirnak - 09.13.09: 1 security personnel was wounded. Diyarbakir - 09.11.09: 1 civilian was killed and 1 wounded in a landmine blast. Tunceli - 09.11.09: 2 trucks and 3 heavy construction machines were set on fire. ¶5. Anti-PKK Operations: 09.17.09: Turkish media reported 2 Turkish F-16 war jets have flown in the direction of northern Iraq direction. 09.05.09-09.11.09: Security forces seized 1.5 kilograms of potassium/ammonium nitrate in anti-PKK operations. PKKers carried out 2 explosive material incidents in this period. ADANA 00000054 002 OF 004 09.11.09-09.17.09: Security forces captured a total of 4 PKKers. One PKK member was captured alive and three surrendered. 09.11.09-09.17.09: Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) anti-PKK operations continue in Sirnak, Hakkari, Bingol, Van, Batman, Diyarbakir, Agri, and Mus. ¶6. Arrests: ¶A. PKK: Adana, 09.11.09: Security forces detained 7 people who were extorting money from people. Some organizational documents and publications were seized in the operation. ¶B. Democratic Society Party (DTP): Sirnak, 09.13.09: Security forces detained a member of the YDG-M (Patriotic Democratic Youth-Movement. Agri, 09.13.09: Security forces detained 3 members of the YDG-M. Siirt, 09.14.09: Security forces detained DTP Kurtalan District Administrator. Diyarbakir, 09.14.09: 10 of 19 people, who were detained in the recent anti-KCK-TM (Kurdish Federations Association-Turkey Assembly) operations, were arrested on a charge of "being member of the terror organization PKK". Sirnak, 09.15.09: A child (age 15) was arrested on a charge of "being member of a terror organization". Diyarbakir, 09.15.09: 6 children are on trial for "being member of the terror organization PKK". The prosecutor requested a combined sentence of 138 years in jail. Siirt, 09.16.09: Security forces detained DTP's Deputy Mayor. Hakkari, 09.16.09: 2 DTP members were arrested on a charge of "being member of the terror organization PKK". Adiyaman, 09.16.09: Security forces detained 3 people on a charge of "making propaganda of the terror organization PKK." One of them later was arrested on charges of "assisting and harboring the terror organization PKK". Batman, 09.16.09: Five people including DTP Center District Administrators Kamuran Aytas and Mehmet Tas were arrested on a charge of "making propaganda of the terror organization PKK". Sirnak, 09.17.09: 14 DTPers were detained in an operation conducted against the DTP's youth arm Patriotic Democratic Youth-Movement (YDG-M). Batman, 09.17.09: 1 person was arrested on a charge of "making propaganda of the terror organization PKK". Gaziantep, 09.17.09: Security forces detained 19 DTPers who joined in a protest march organized by DTP's women's branch. ADANA 00000054 003 OF 004 ¶C. Other: Van, 09.17.09: Security forces seized 2 rifles, 9 magazines, and ammunition at a house. One illegal migrant and a person who was assisting and harboring him were arrested. Agri, 09.16.09: Security forces intervened with a group of DTP members who wanted to put a black wreath on the AK Party's building. Adana, 09.16.09: Security forces captured 7 people who threw Molotov cocktails at a supermarket. Four of them were formally arrested. The group stated the action was carried out to protest ongoing military operations and the Turkish Government's lack of support for Ocalan's road map. Adana, 09.14.09: The Turkish Telecom (TT) building on Cukurova Street of Basak Parish was attacked by a group of PKK sympathizers with Molotov cocktails. The group chanted slogans in favor of PKK and Ocalan and later escaped by branch roads. Diyarbakir, 09.15.09: A police check point in Baglar District and a medical clinic were attacked by a group of unidentified people with Molotov cocktails. Police opened fire in the air. Cukurca and Yuksekova in Hakkari, 09.14.09: Many PKK sympathizers clashed with police to protest the deaths of 8 HPG members and the arrest of 10 DTPers. Security forces intervened with tear gas, sticks and pressurized water; demonstrators responded with stones and Molotov cocktails. PKK supporters blocked the Yuksekova-Esendere-Semdinli Highway with burning trash barrels. Demonstrators chanted slogans in favor of PKK and Ocalan. AK Party's and MHP's buildings, a University Prep School, MOBESE cameras (security surveillance cameras) were attacked by the protestors. The clashes ended around dusk. Beytussebap in Hakkari, 09.14.09: The crowd coming back from a funeral ceremony of a killed PKK member attacked security forces with stones. Security forces responded with tear gas. At least 3 police officers were wounded. Hakkari, 09.13.09: Almost 20,000 people joined in funeral ceremonies of 2 PKK members who were killed in a clash on September 8. Demonstrators chanted slogans in favor of PKK and Ocalan. Adana, 09.14.09: PKK supporters attacked a supermarket on Sakirpasa Street of Onur Parish with stones and Molotov cocktails. It was reported that 11 Molotov cocktails were thrown at the BIM Supermarket. There were no injuries. The latest attack was the fourth against the same market. (Note: BIM supermarkets have been attacked many times by PKK supporters across Turkey. The owner of the BIM chain is one of the top-level AK Party members, Cuneyd Zapsu. End note.) -------------- -------------- Illegal Migrants, Counter-Narcotics and Other Smuggling -------------- -------------- ¶7. Illegal migrants: Security forces captured and deported 726 illegal migrants from the following regions: Canakkale, Adana, Erzurum, Iraqi Border, Agri, Yalova, Greek Border, Iranian Border, Van, Kocaeli, Mugla, Sirnak, Balikesir, Hatay, Edirne, Kilis, Aegean Coast, Syrian Border, Elazig, Nevsehir. Four Turks assisting the illegal migrants were also arrested in the operations that took place between September 11 and 17. ADANA 00000054 004 OF 004 ¶8. Counter-narcotic operations: Gaziantep, 09.17.09: Security forces confiscated 17,066 pills and arrested 1 person. Diyarbakir, 09.16.09: Security forces seized 1,054,000 Indian hemp seeds and 154 kilograms of hashish. Mersin, 09.16.09: Security forces captured 70 people in 43 separate operations. Thirty-two people were arrested and 24 kilograms of hashish, 222 seeds of Indian hemp and 17 pills were seized. Hatay, 09.16.09: Security forces confiscated 15 kilograms of hashish. Diyarbakir, 09.16.09: Security forces confiscated 72 kilograms of hashish and arrested two people. Van, 09.16.09: Security forces seized 140 kilograms of hashish and arrested 3 people. Elazig, 09.15.09: Security forces seized 6 kilograms of hashish. Diyarbakir, 09.14.09: Security forces seized 52 kilograms of heroin. Van, 09.14.09: Security forces seized 51 kilograms hashish. Adana, 09.12.09: Security forces seized 6 kilograms of hashish. ¶9. Other: Batman, 09.14.09: Security forces seized 1284 liters of smuggled diesel and 68,040 boxes of smuggled cigarettes. DDARNELL