SE TURKEY SECURITY INCIDENTS: JANUARY 25-31, 2010

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ADANA 000012 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR DS/IP/EUR, DS/IP/ITA, INR AND EUR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ASEC PTER PINR CASC TU SUBJECT: SE TURKEY SECURITY INCIDENTS: JANUARY 25-31, 2010 ¶1. (U) The following security incidents for the period of January 25-31, 2010 were compiled by the security assistant at Consulate Adana from RSO sources, to include Turkish security contacts, government officials and media. The RSO uses the information to determine the security situation and trends of violence and crime throughout Turkey. The RSO shares the information with the country team and visas viper coordinator. ¶2. (U) Military operations against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) as reported by the Turkish General Staff (TGS): -------------- -------------- -------------- ¶A. Weapons, ammunition, and equipment seized: -------------- -------------- -------------- Mardin - 01.30.10: Security forces found and destroyed one anti-personnel landmine. Sirnak - 01.29.10: Security forces found and destroyed one IED. Diyarbakir - 01.28.10: One pressure-sensitive IED made of one kilogram of ammonium nitrate. Diyarbakir - 01.26.10: Two Kalashnikov rifles, 30 rounds of ammunition nitrate and three hand grenades. -------------- -------------- ¶B. PKK members captured or surrendered: -------------- -------------- 01.25.10 through 01.31.10: Security forces captured three PKK members. For January 2010: Security forces captured 22 PKK members. Gaziantep - 01.29.10: Security forces caught one PKK member. Sanliurfa - 01.28.10: TGS relinquished one PKK member to Turkish security officials. ¶3. (U) Media reports related to PKK and pro-Kurdish organizations: -------------- ¶A. Anti-PKK operations: -------------- Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) anti-PKK operations in SE Turkey continued in Diyarbakir, Mardin, Sirnak, and Hakkari. Hakkari - 01.30.10: TAF artillery teams bombed suspected PKK positions in N.Iraq. ¶N. Iraq - 01.28.10: TAF artillery teams bombed the Zap region, no injuries reported. 01.01.10 through 01.29.10: TAF confiscated or detonated safely 14 kilograms of TNT, 200 grams of plastic explosive material, 52 kilograms of ammonium/potassium nitrate and one landmine. PKK members carried out one attack by using explosive materials in the same period. -------------- ¶B. Arrests: -------------- Sanliurfa - 01.31.10: Two people were sentenced for a cumulative 20 months in prison on the charge of "making propaganda for the PKK." Siirt - 01.31.10: Security forces arrested six people on the charge of "joining in illegal action on behalf of the PKK." Mardin - 01.31.10: Security forces detained two people in two separate anti-terror operations on the charge of "making propaganda for the PKK." Mardin - 01.30.10: Security forces detained a member of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) on the charge of "making propaganda for the PKK." Sirnak - 01.30.10: Security forces arrested four minors on the charge of "joining in illegal actions on behalf of the PKK." ADANA 00000012 002 OF 003 Sanliurfa - 01.30.10: Security forces detained an employee of the pro-Kurdish Azadiya Welat (The Free County) Newspaper on the suspicion of terrorism. Diyarbakir - 01.31.10: Thirteen people detained in a 2009 anti-PKK operation went on trial for "assisting and harboring the PKK." Sirnak and Mus - 01.30.10: Security forces detained 11 people in anti-terror operations. Batman - 01.28.10: Security forces arrested one university student on the charge of "making propaganda for the terror organization PKK." Hakkari - 01.28.10: Security forces arrested four people on the charge of "making propaganda for the PKK." Adana - 01.28.10: Four members of the KESK (Revolutionary Labor Union) are on trial on the charges of "violating restrictions on marches and demonstrations." Adana - 01.28.10: Security forces caught one PKK member who was wanted for taking part in the 1994 Suveren Gendarme Station attack, the 1994 ambush of troops, attacking a train on the Elazig-Tatvan line, murder and kidnapping. Hakkari - 01.28.10: Security forces detained three people on the charge of "making propaganda for the PKK." Siirt - 01.28.10: Police detained two people in an anti-terror operation, bring the two-day total detained to 16. Detainees were charged with "joining in illegal street actions on behalf of the PKK." Bitlis - 01.27.10: Security forces detained 11 people on the charge of "chanting illegal slogans in favor of the PKK and Ocalan." Diyarbakir - 01.27.10: Security forces arrested two people for a cumulative 21 years in prison on the charges of "membership in the PKK," and "violating restrictions on marches and demonstrations law." Siirt - Security forces detained 18 people, including BDP's center district Chairman Arif Karatas on the charge of "joining in illegal actions on behalf of the PKK." Batman - 01.27.10: One minor was sentenced to 14 years in prison on charges of "membership in the PKK," and "joining in illegal actions on behalf of the PKK." 01.27.10: Pro-Kurdish Dicle News (DN) reported almost 1,500 people were arrested in anti-KCK (Kurdish Democratic Confederation/Turkey Council, the urban arm of the PKK) operations in 2009. In December 2009 alone, 1,366 people were detained and 491 of them were arrested by court order. According to the Diyarbakir branch of the Human Rights Association, security forces detained 4,475 people in 2009 and 1,444 of them later were arrested. -------------- -------------- ¶C. Other media stories about the PKK: -------------- -------------- Hakkari - 01.31.10: The pro-Kurdish Mesopotamian Culture Union (MEYA-DER) held a lunch activity in order to support the families of PKK members who were killed in clashes. Batman - 01.28.10: Security forces seized unregistered rifles, hand grenades and dynamite in an anti-terror operation against four village guards, who had recently been detained in anti-KCK operations. Sanliurfa-Diyarbakir-Sirnak-Batman: 01.28.10: Demonstrators, including BDP members, gathered to protest the recent anti-KCK operations. Hakkari - 01.27.10: PKK has established an execution team named GAIT (Gever Agent Execution Team) that operates in the mountainous terrain of Hakkari Province. GAIT aims to catch and kill PKK members who want to defect from the organization, or who have already left. 01.27.10: PM Erdogan signals more cross-border operations against the PKK. 01.27.10: A six-member group from the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture European anti-torture delegation visited PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in prison after he ADANA 00000012 003 OF 003 complained about living conditions. ¶4. (U) Media reports on significant crime or security incidents: 01.31.10: Pro-PKK Firat News reported that drug and human trafficking in the Turkey-Iraq border area is under control of the GoT and JITEM (clandestine wing of gendarme intelligence unit). 01.31.10: According to UNODOC's report, Turkey is the leading country in drug trafficking. Drug traffic in the Europe is organized by 93 separate Turkish mafias, which constitute the main drug suppliers of the continent. In 2009, 85 tons of drugs transited Turkey to European countries and Turks control 93 percent of the market. 01.31.10: A Pegasus Airlines plane made an emergency landing in Ankara after an unfounded bomb threat was called in during its journey from Istanbul to Van. Van - 01.30.10: Twenty-six people were wounded in a firefight when two families clashed for unknown reasons. Hatay - 01.30.10: Security forces seized an alleged assassination pistol (Glock) prior to the Justice Minister's visit to Erzin District. 01.29.10: The Council of Europe criticized Turkey for failing to disband its village guard system and said compensation awarded for damages to victims of terror remains a serious concern. 01.29.10: Since the beginning of 2010, media has increased coverage of stories about missing children, prompting police to state there is no evidence to support widely held beliefs that "organ" mafias are kidnapping children. Police say 1,462 of the missing children are 13-18 years old and 195 of them are age 12 and under; 562 are boys and 1,062 are girls. Adana - 01.28.10: Fake bombs threats for two Adana-Izmir flights caused delays. Mardin - 01.28.10: Unidentified people left a television set in front of BDP's door in Kiziltepe District with a bomb threat note. 01.28.10: An investigation launched into the death of a senior gendarmerie sergeant initially thought to have been killed in a clash with the PKK has shown that he was shot by one of the region's village guards. Diyarbakir - 01.27.10: Security forces detained 30 people in an anti-organized-crime operation. 01.27.10: A number of civil society groups in Mardin organized a protest against the Sledgehammer Security Operation Plan, an alleged coup plan devised by the military in 2003. ¶5. (U) Illegal immigrant arrests: 01.26.10 through 01.30.10: Security forces captured and deported 95 illegal immigrants from Edirne, Hakkari, Hatay, Mersin and the borders of Iran, Syria and Greece. ¶6. (U) Counter-narcotic operations: 01.01.10 through 01.29.10: TAF forces confiscated 9 kilograms of poppy gum, 858 kilograms of heroin, 1054 kilograms of hashish and 66,000 units of drug pills. Gaziantep - 01.28.10: Security forces stopped a vehicle travelling from Gaziantep to Antalya, detaining three people. 29 kilograms of hashish were seized. Van - 01.27.10: Security forces confiscated 21 kilograms of hashish and detained one person. ¶7. (U) Attack on Consulate Adana Assailants on a motorbike opened fire at the Consulate with an AK-47 rifle at a distance of approximately 65 meters from the main gate in NW direction. Gunmen fired 28 bullets, 13 of which hit the Consulate building and west police booth. No one was hurt in the incident. TNP detained six men believed to be involved in the attack, released all of them, re-detained three of them, and formanlly charged those three. The TNP investigation continues. DARNELL