Army reportedly given order to kill PKK members harassing troops


The PKK terrorist organization's rising armed activities and the killing of one soldier in Adıyaman on Monday has compelled Turkish security officials to set new regulations in the region.

Following the security summit held in Çankaya Palace on Monday, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said that he gave the required instructions for security measures. Reportedly, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) will act by destroying a target that opens fire on officials for providing security rather than being authorized by the governor to clash with the PKK.

The Turkish Armed Forces are constantly subjected to harassment fire from the PKK, especially at the Dağlıca border post, and these attacks were retaliated to in kind. From now on, it is reported that governors will be instructed to directly destroy the target in the event of harassment fire, instead of merely firing back.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday Turkish security units found a home-made, 100-kilogram remote-controlled bomb planted on a road in Turkey's eastern province of Tunceli.

Gendarmerie units were performing a routine road check 15 kilometers away from Tunceli's city-center at the time of their finding. When the gendarmerie discovered the bomb, they immediately notified the Tunceli provincial gendarmerie command, from where multiple armored cars and bomb squad teams were dispatched to the area.

The remote-controlled bomb was eventually defused by the expert teams.

Although the answer to the question of who planted the bomb is not yet clear, planting bombs or mines on roads where Turkish security forces patrol is a method frequently used by the outlawed PKK terror organization, especially since the mid-1990's when Turkey drastically increased its defense spending and special units for unconventional warfare. The PKK also has an active and sizeable presence in the mountainous province.

Since then, the PKK has dropped its ground control strategy and started using hit-and-run tactics, along with attacks in urban areas.