Two privates and a noncommissioned officer were killed in a clash between Turkish security forces and outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorists at a gendarmerie post in Tunceli province early on Friday, Today's Zaman reported.
No deaths among the PKK were reported. The conflict erupted in the early hours of Friday, near the Alacık gendarmerie post in Tunceli. Security forces have launched operations in the area in an attempt to capture the terrorists.
Gendarmerie Sgt. Yıldırım Akbulut from İzmir province, Infantry Cpl. Çoşkun Kılıç from Ankara and gendarme İlhan Verenbel from Hakkari province were killed by the terrorists in the gendarmerie post attack
In a related development, PKK members opened fire on a police special ops team on the Şırnak Highway near Gündoğdu on Thursday night. Two officers were wounded in the attack and were taken to Şırnak Military Hospital for treatment. Security forces have launched an operation to capture assailants who fled into a forested area after the skirmish. Two PKK terrorists were killed in the operation early on Friday. The police have taken heavy security measures in the area to capture the remaining terrorists.
The hospital reported that the wounded police officers were in critical condition. One of the officers, İrfan Olcar, was transferred to a hospital in Ankara by air ambulance on Friday.
The National Police Department sent an official letter to counterterrorism units across the country in February, calling on them to tighten security measures as the PKK has recently stepped up its campaign of violence. The letter warned counterterrorism units that the terrorist organization is preparing for simultaneous attacks and that their primary targets are security forces and police stations. Police departments are also stepping up security measures in public spaces such as metro stations, shopping centers and on public transportation.
The PKK, which has been fighting for autonomy in Turkey's mainly Kurdish Southeast since 1984, was founded on Marxist ideology. Turkey has been conducting airstrikes on PKK camps in northern Iraq's mountainous region and inside Turkey since August of last year, following an increase in attacks on Turkish troops and civilians by the PKK. The conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives. The group is labeled a terrorist organization by the European Union and the United States, which has supplied Predator drones to assist Turkey.