Turkish politicians, US condemn recent PKK attack

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that "Turkey is determined to make [the PKK terrorist organization] inoperative by joining hands with state institutions and the Turkish people," adding that the PKK is being shunned by Kurdish people in the region for "trying to make its presence known." Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu condemned the attack, calling the perpetrators reachless aims "heinous." Devlet Bahçeli, the leader of the other opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), said that the Turkish people will not buckle under the weight of PKK terrorist attacks, calling on the government to "do whatever is necessary to eradicate PKK terrorism." Bahçeli also conveyed a message of unity and solidarity to the people of Turkey.

White House National Security Council spokesperson Ned Price condemned the attack on the military checkpoint, calling it "just the latest in a deeply concerning trend of increasing violence by the PKK."

"We remain steadfast in our support for our NATO ally, Turkey, and reaffirm our commitment to continue working together to defeat all forms of terrorism," Price said in a statement released Sunday night.

On Sunday, the PKK attacked a security check-point in Şemdinli with a bomb-laden vehicle, killing five civilians and 10 soldiers. The Hakkari Governorate said another 13 soldiers and 13 civilians were injured in the attack. Meanwhile, PKK terrorists launched a rocket attack against the Demirkuyu military base in the Silvan district of southeastern Diyarbakır province yesterday leaving one soldier dead and six others injured.

Hundreds of PKK terrorists killed since Aug. 29

The Turkish military gave a statement yesterday revealing that 417 terrorists have been killed in the country since Aug. 29, with 61 others left wounded, 18 were captured alive and 41 others surrendered to security forces during the operations.

Counter terror operations -- the most extensive of their kind in Turkey's recent history -- left 88 soldiers dead and 152 others wounded in Turkey's eastern and southeastern regions, according to the statement given by the military. The Turkish army also seized various weapons and ammunition that were left behind by terrorists in the operations which were conducted in cooperation with the Turkish gendarmerie, local police forces and village guards and the operation will continue determinedly, the statement noted. Meanwhile, according to records obtained by security units of wireless communication between terrorists, members of the PKK have been in a panic since the latest string of operations and are lacking ammunition and food. Senior figures of the PKK have been killed and the mastermind of the recent attack in Şemdinli was an aim to boost morale among the ranks of the PKK terrorists.