24 security officers were killed in attacks carried out at eight different places at 1.00 am this morning (19 October) in the cities of Yüksekova and Çurkurca in the province of Hakkari (south-eastern Turkey close to the Iraqui border). According to official data, this has been the most severe attack on security members so far with the highest number of casualties.
As reported by NTV, 22 soldiers were injured in the attacks that lasted till 5.00 am this morning. The Governor of Hakkari, Muammer Türker, announced that the attacks on police and military posts were carried out simultaneously.
Head of General Staff Necet Özel came to the area together with the force commanders. Air operations were launched in Hakkari. The Reuters News Agency reported that the soldiers of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) entered the area of the Kurdish Regional Government in Northern Iraq in hot pursuit of the assailants.
President Abdullah Gül said in a statement, "This is a long-standing fight. It has been like this in other parts of the worlds as well. Those who think that the democratic developments in Turkey have attained to terror are being mistaken by a historical error".
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan cancelled his scheduled three-day visit to Kazakhstan. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu also cancelled his planned visit to Serbia.
Today two years ago, on 19 October 2009, 34 people, four of whom were children, entered Turkey via the Habur check point on the Turkish-Iraqi border as the so-called peace groups with the aim to advance the jammed peace process.
Yesterday (18 October), five police officers and three civilians died in the course of an explosion in Güroymak/Bitlis on Tuesday (18 October). (AS/VK)