VZCZCXRO2449
RR RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHAK #1708/01 1841440
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 031440Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2832
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEHAK/USDAO ANKARA TU
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC//USDP:PDUSDP/ISA:EUR/ISA:NESA//
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
RUEUITH/ODC ANKARA TU
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J-3/J-5//
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RHMFIUU/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RHMFIUU/425ABS IZMIR TU//CC//
RHMFIUU/39ABG INCIRLIK AB TU
RUEPGAB/MNF-I C2X BAGHDAD IZ

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