Around 400 civilians killed in PKK attacks across Turkey

By Yunus Okur

ERZURUM, Turkey

The PKK terror organization has killed around 400 innocent civilians across Turkey since July 2015.

The terror group targeted security forces including police officers and soldiers as well as civilians in the last two years.

According to the figures compiled by Anadolu Agency, the PKK has killed 378 civilians, including district governors, politicians, workers and teachers in 863 days since July 20, 2015.

Over 2,000 people were also injured throughout the country in this period, the figures show.

The terror group also planted explosives near residential buildings, mosques and schools.

On Sept. 12, 2016, the first day of Eid al-Adha, a Muslim holiday period, terrorists targeted a police post near the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party provincial headquarters in eastern Van province; 54 people, including four police officers were injured in the attack.

On Nov. 4, 11 people, including two policemen were martyred and more than 100 others injured in a PKK car bomb attack in southeastern Diyarbakir province.

Another car bomb attack martyred three police officers and wounded 100 other people near the provincial security directorate in eastern Elazig province on Aug. 18.

Ahmet Budak, who was an AK Party candidate for 2015 parliamentary election, was killed in eastern Hakkari province on Sept. 14, 2016.

Mehmet Serif Dogu, Latifiye village head in eastern Van province, Aydin Mustu, AK Party’s district deputy head in Van province, AK Party Dicle District Head Deryan Aktert in eastern Diyarbakir province and Salih Guven, Boluklu village head in eastern Bitlis province, were among politicians killed in last year's PKK attacks.

District Governor Muhammed Fatih Safiturk in southeastern Mardin province, who was injured in a PKK attack targeting the building of a district governorship, later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital on Nov. 11, last year.

Teachers targeted

Orhan Mercan, AK Party deputy head of Lice District in southeastern Diyarbakir province, was also shot dead by PKK terrorists in front of his house in the province on July 1 this year.

On July 2, a day after the attack on Mercan, Aydin Ahi, AK Party deputy head of Ozalp District in eastern Van province, was shot dead by members of the terror organization.

On Nov. 27, former AK Party District Head Cihan Birlik was also the target of a PKK attack in eastern Sirnak province; Birlik was slightly injured in the attack.

Security forces dealt a big blow to the organization in eastern provinces such as Tunceli, Hakkari, Sirnak, Diyarbakir, Agri, Kars, Erzincan and Bitlis provinces through security operations.

When the group could not get public support, it also targeted teachers.

On June 9, a PKK attack killed a 22-year-old music teacher Senay Aybuke Yalcin when she was returning home from school in Kozluk district of southeastern Batman province.

Another 23-year-old teacher Necmettin Yilmaz became victim to a PKK attack this June.

His vehicle was burned down by PKK terrorists in Pulumur district of eastern Tunceli province on June 16. His body was recovered on July 12 near the Pulumur Stream.

PKK terrorists also killed a worker and injured another in Semdinli district of eastern Hakkari province near the Iraqi border on Nov. 29.

The PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- resumed its armed campaign against Turkey in July 2015.

Since then, it has been responsible for the deaths of more than 1,200 Turkish security personnel and civilians, including a number of women and children.