VZCZCXRO6956
RR RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHAK #1840/01 2000918
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 190918Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3029
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 03 ANKARA 001840 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PTER PREL PGOV TU IZ
SUBJECT: Update on PKK Violence (July 8-15, 2007) 
 
REF: ANKARA 1791 and previous 
 
(U) Sensitive but unclassified - please protect accordingly. 
 
¶1. (SBU) This is another in a series of periodic reports on 
Kurdistan Workers' Party (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 July 8 to 15, 2007, three security officials were killed 
in action (KIA) or in explosions of improvised explosive devices 
(IEDs). 
 
¶3. (U) From July 8-15, three PKK terrorists were killed in action, 
three were captured, and four surrendered, including two who were 
turned over to Turkish authorities by Patriotic Union of Kurdistan 
(PUK) forces at the border crossing at Habur Gate. 
 
¶4. (U) The TGS website reported three clashes that occurred between 
security forces and PKK terrorists in southeastern Turkey during the 
reporting period.  Security forces unearthed eight PKK shelters and 
caves and seized booby-trapped land mines; other explosive 
materials, including A-4 and TNT; Kalashnikov rifles; cartridges; 
hand grenades; pistols; night vision binoculars; satellite antennas; 
and radios. 
 
¶5. (U) On July 9, a sheep stepped on a PKK land mine near Semdinli 
in Hakkari Province.  The shepherd was slightly injured and four of 
his sheep perished. 
 
¶6. (U) On July 9, the PKK raided a mine in a mountainous region of 
Hatay Province, stealing three cell phones that belonged to workers 
there, as well as food.  They also destroyed machinery at the mine 
as they departed. 
 
¶7. (U) On July 10, the PKK detonated a bomb near the Acemoglu Bridge 
in Kemah, Erzincan Province as a freight train transporting marble 
was passing over the bridge.  Two train cars were damaged. 
 
¶8. (U) On July 10, the PKK detonated a remote-controlled explosive 
on a rail line near Pulumur in Tunceli Province.  Two rail cars of a 
freight train were derailed as a result. 
 
¶9. (U) Activity as reported by TGS website: 
 
CLASHES    NUMBER 
 
May 2007    40 
 
June 2007    40 
 
July 1-7, 2007   5 
 
July 8-16, 2007  3 
 
CASUALTIES 
 
Security Forces 
 
May 2007     15 KIA, 52 WIA 
 
June 2007    23 KIA, 51 WIA 
 
July 1-7, 2007   1 KIA, 4 WIA 
 
July 8-16, 2007  3 KIA, -- 
 
PKK 
 
May 2007    20 KIA, 31 captured, 3 surrendered 
 
ANKARA 00001840  002 OF 003 
 
 
 
June 2007    34 KIA, 16 captured, 17 surrendered 
 
July 1-7, 2007   3 KIA, -- captured, -- surrendered 
 
July 8-16, 2007  3 KIA, 3 captured, 4 surrendered 
 
 
CACHES RECOVERED 
 
May 2007     113 
 
June 2007    50 
 
July 1-7, 2007   13 
 
July 8-16, 2007  8 
 
 
¶10. (U) Following are casualty figures associated with PKK-related 
violence for 2007. 
 
TURKISH SECURITY FORCES 
     KIA   WIA 
 
JANUARY    1   2 
 
FEBRUARY    1   0 
 
MARCH    5   4 
 
APRIL     18   16 
 
MAY     15   42 
 
JUNE     24   51 
 
July 1-7, 2007   1    4 
 
July 8-16, 2007  3   -- 
 
TOTAL    68    129 
 
 
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 
 
July 1-7, 2007  3  --     -- 
 
July 8-16, 2007 3  3    4 
 
TOTAL   92  92    38 
 
* 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 
 
ANKARA 00001840  003 OF 003 
 
 
 
MAY     14*     108* 
 
JUNE     1      1 
 
July 1-7, 2007   --      -- 
 
July 8-16, 2007  --     1 
 
TOTAL    17     110 
 
* Includes 9 KIA and 100 WIA from May 22 Ankara bombing. 
 
WILSON