Turkey's Ministry of Interior Affairs has announced on Saturday to hire 5,000 "village guards" as PKK violence in country's eastern and southeastern regions have escalated in recent months.
Ministry of Interior Affairs, Selami Altınok said the guards would be deployed to 22 provinces in the region, where Turkish security forces are fighting PKK terrorists following the renewal of the group's armed campaign in late July.
According to the Federation of Provisional Village Guards, Turkey currently employs 46,000 guards under a system established in the 1980s.
"The Republic of Turkey can eliminate this trouble and is determined to tackle it," Altınok said at a veterans' lunch in Aksaray, central Turkey.
"The fight against terrorism will be maintained in a determined way until the terrorist organization PKK lay down their arms," he said.
"With the instructions of the Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, we are set to start hiring almost 5,000 village guards in the 22 eastern and southeastern provinces to be more effective in the guard system."
Since July, more than 100 members of the security forces and hundreds of PKK members have been killed in operations across Turkey and northern Iraq, including airstrikes.
The Kurdish conflict reignited following the July 20 suicide bomb attack in Suruç, Şanlıurfa province, marking the end of fragile peace discussions known as the "solution process".
The government has intensified its counterterrorism operations following the recent attacks carried out on Turkish forces and civilians by the PKK, which is recognized as a terrorist organization by the U.S., EU and Turkey.
After the end of cease-fire, more than 110 Turkish security forces have been killed in terrorist attacks including the recent Dağlıca and Iğdır attacks that respectively claimed the lives of 16 soldiers and 13 police officers.
Formed in 1978, the PKK had been fighting the Turkish government for an independent state until the early 2000s. The group then shifted its goal to autonomy in the predominately Kurdish regions of Turkey.
Keep up to date with what’s happening in Turkey,
it’s region and the world.
You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.