Ankara Claims Nearly 2,000 PKK Fighters Killed

[Anthea]

Bomb Blast Hits Erbil

A bomb exploded on Friday evening on a pedestrian bridge in the capital Erbil, causing no casualties, Kurdistan Region’s Counter-Terrorism Unit has confirmed. Investigations into the incident are currently underway

A loud noise shook the bridge over the 60-meter street in Erbil, causing slight damage to the bridge. Initial reports suggest a possible short circuit in an electrical line connected to one of the advertising signs on the bridge as the cause, according to sources.

The Kurdistan Region has maintained a robust security, ensuring a stable environment and establishing itself as a hub for foreign businesses and diplomats.

Erbil, the capital city of the Kurdistan Region, is home to 30 diplomatic missions, including representatives from the United States, United Kingdom and Russia.

https://www.basnews.com/en/babat/821989

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PKK-affiliated Group Behind Blast

The Kurdistan Region Security Council has announced that an organization affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) was behind the explosion that rocked in Erbil in early September, describing it as a “terrorist act”

“A bomb exploded on a pedestrian bridge on the 60-meter street of Erbil city near Spi (White) Mosque on Friday evening of September 1st, 2023, causing no casualties; only some material damages,” the KRSC said in a statement.

Following the incident, a thorough investigation was conducted into the incident by a specialized team from the Kurdistan Region Security Council.

“It was concluded that the explosion was a terrorist act and was carried out with a hand-made bomb weighing nearly one kilogram of (PETN),” the statement added.

“After investigation and collecting the accurate evidence, it was revealed that the act was perpetrated by an individual named Ziyad Jalil Khalaf, a member of the (Tevgeri Azadi) affilated to the PKK, and a resident of Takiya subdistrict of Chamchamal district in Sulaymaniyah province, who came to Erbil and went back to Takiya for this purpose.”

An arrest warrant has been issued for the suspect in accordance with Article 2 paragraph 3 of Counter Terrorism Act, according to the KRSC’s statement.

“For this purpose, considering the location of the incident, the judge order was sent to the relevant authorities in Sulaymaniyah province to arrest and hand over the accused to the security agencies of Erbil city so he would be tried in a court of law,” the statement concluded.

At the beginning of this month, a bomb exploded on a pedestrian bridge in Erbil on the 60-Meter Road, without causing any casualties. The Directorate General of Counter Terrorism said at the time that the bomb had exploded at 6:29 p.m. near the White Mosque in the Tairawa neighborhood of Erbil.

https://www.basnews.com/en/babat/823053

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Over 1,200 PKK Fighters Killed

Turkey's National Defense Ministry has in a news briefing issued an update on the country's ongoing operations against members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the broader region

"Türkiye has "neutralized" more than 1,200 YPG/PKK terrorists since the beginning of this year, including those hiding out across the border in Iraq and northern Syria," Anadolu Agency reported on Thursday.

According to Turkish state media, at least 44 PKK fighters were "neutralized" last week alone, with a total of 1,229 PKK members having been "neutralized" so far this year.

Ankara uses the term "neutralize" to imply actions like killing, capturing, or surrendering in relation to its operations against the PKK.

For nearly forty years, Turkey and the PKK have been locked in a protracted armed conflict, resulting in lethal consequences that transcend Turkey's borders. The PKK maintains its presence and affiliated groups in neighboring Syria, as well as in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.

The presence of PKK fighters and operatives in Kurdistan Region's mountainous areas often draws Turkish airstrikes and artillery shelling, targeting PKK positions. This has cost the lives of scores of innocent civilians, and forced the evacuation of thousands of villages as well as the abandonment of thousands of acres of agricultural land and mountain resorts.

https://www.basnews.com/en/babat/823546

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Turkey Killed more than 1,700 PKK

Turkey's National Defense Ministry in a statement has announced its forces have "neutralized" more than 1,700 fighters of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the Kurdistan Region and neighboring Syria during this year alone

"Türkiye has neutralized as many as 1,715 PKK/YPG terrorists since the beginning of this year, including those hiding out across the border in Iraq and northern Syria," state media Anadolu Agency reported this week, citing remarks from the country's Defense Ministry.

During last week alone, Turkish security forces "neutralized" as many as 33 PKK fighters as Turkey's cross-border operations against the PKK intensify. On Wednesday night, Turkish fighter jets bombed PKK positions in Erbil's Sidakan district, killing nine fighters.

Also on Wednesday, drone attacks struck PKK positions in the subdistricts of Shiladze and Deraluk near the town of Amedi in Duhok province, killing one fighter and injuring three others, Kurdistan Region's Counter-Terrorism Unit reported.

Ankara uses the term "neutralize" to imply actions like killing or surrendering in relation to its military operations against the PKK.

In response to a PKK suicide attack on Ankara's national police headquarters earlier this month, Turkey stepped up its air raids in the Kurdistan Region and neighboring Syria.

For the past four decades, Turkey and the PKK have been engaged in a prolonged armed conflict, significantly impacting various aspects of life in the Kurdistan Region.

The PKK's presence in Kurdistan has resulted in numerous civilian casualties, the forced evacuation of thousands of villages, and the abandonment of many mountain resorts and valuable agricultural lands.

https://www.basnews.com/en/babat/828360

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Nearly 2,000 PKK Fighters killed

Turkey's National Defense Ministry on Friday claimed its forces have "neutralized" at last 1,835 members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) during this year alone

"Türkiye has neutralized as many as 1,835 PKK/YPG terrorists since the beginning of this year, including those hiding out across the border in Iraq and northern Syria," state media Anadolu Agency reported today, citing a ministry statement.

"A total of 33 terrorists were neutralized last week," the statement detailed. Ankara uses the term "neutralize" to imply actions like killing or surrendering in the context of its military operations against the PKK.

Following a recent suicide attack on Ankara's national police headquarters by the PKK, Turkey has escalated air raids in the Kurdistan Region and Syria.

The enduring conflict has profoundly impacted life in the Kurdistan Region, resulting in numerous civilian casualties, the displacement of thousands of villages, and the abandonment of scores of mountain resorts and agricultural land.

In a recent incident on Monday this week, a Turkish drone strike in Boskeni village near Ranya district in Sulaymaniyah province resulted in the death of two PKK fighters and injuries to two others.

Also this week, Turkey's National Intelligence Organization announced its forces "neutralized" a senior member of the Kurdistan Workers' Party in the Kurdistan Region.

https://www.basnews.com/en/babat/829756