PKK terrorist who killed Turkish officer Abdullah Sercan captured


One of the PKK terrorists who opened fire on an undercover police car on Saturday in the district of Midyat in southeastern province Mardin and killed police officer Abdullah Ümit Sercan was captured after he was wounded in a clash with Turkish security forces on Monday. The Mardin Governorate released a statement saying that the PKK terrorist named S.K. was captured wounded in the shootout between the terrorists and, the Gendarmerie units and village guards. The statement also said that operations were continuing to identify and capture the other perpetrators of the atrocious attack.The terrorist attack had taken place at Cumhuriyet Boulevard in Midyat at around 9:30 p.m on Saturday when a Turkish police patrol squad car got suspicious of a vehicle in traffic. As the suspicious car slowed down the undercover police vehicle was raked by fire from long-barreled guns, injuring two officers.Abdullah Ümit Sercan who had just become a father 20 days ago lost his life in the attack, whereas Cumhur Ersöz was heavily wounded.Turkey has been hit by violence since a suicide bomb attack by a suspected ISIS supporter killed 32 activists in Suruç on July 20.The Turkish government has intensified its counterterror operations following the recent attacks carried out by the PKK, which is recognized as a terrorist organization by the U.S., the EU and Turkey.Formed in 1978, the terrorist group has been fighting the Turkish government for an independent state until the early 2000's. The group then shifted its goal to autonomy in predominately Kurdish inhabited regions of Turkey.The PKK announced on July 11 that the cease-fire which was declared via a message from the PKK's imprisoned leader Abdullah Öcalan in 2013 has ended.Turkish security forces have arrested hundreds of people with suspected links to ISIS, the PKK, and leftist groups, detaining over 1,300 people across the country, according to a recent statement released by the Prime Minister's Office.According to military sources, 261 terrorists were killed in Turkey's airstrikes against PKK's hideouts and camps in northern Iraq.The PKK is also accused of using civilians as human shields in its camps.