The bloody past of the Dağlıca Outpost, a key location in fight against PKK

As Turkey is still in shock from the reports of bloody skirmishes between the Turkish military and PKK terrorists in the Dağlıca Outpost in southeastern Hakkari province, which ended up with 16 dead and six wounded, the outpost's bloody past has resurfaced.

The Dağlıca Outpost is located some 6 kilometers north of the Iraqi border and 40 kilometers west of the Iranian border at an altitude of 1,400 meters. The region is known for its steep mountainous terrain and harsh weather conditions. It guards a strategic passage point between the territory close to the Iraqi border and the Yüksekova Plain, an area that includes most of Hakkari province's population and arable land. This is an important objective for the PKK to establish a "liberated area" inside Turkey. The area also serves as one of the gateways for PKK terrorists to enter Turkey, and a highly protected permanent outpost was built in the region in the mid-2000s to stop this traffic. The PKK has frequently targeted the outpost even during the truce in 2013 and 2014.



Surrounded by mountains exceeding 3,000 meters on three sides, the outpost is prone to attacks, especially during bad weather conditions when cover from the air is limited or impossible, just as in Sunday's attack. The PKK held territory in northern Iraq, which lies to the south of the outpost and the PKK headquarters in the Qandil Mountains is located some 100 kilometers southeast.

The recent attack was reportedly not conducted on the Dağlıca Outpost itself, but targeted two armed vehicles with a roadside bomb in the area. However, along with the nearby Aktütün Outpost located 30 kilometers southeast of Dağlıca, the PKK conducts large attacks in the area by concentrating hundreds of militants in one location aiming to inflict more casualties on security forces and to overrun posts. The PKK usually avoids direct confrontation with the Turkish military since the early 2000s and applies hit-and-run attacks, but the region's proximity to PKK camps and geographical conditions allow the terrorist groups to mass its militants in a single location.

In October 2007, 12 Turkish soldiers were killed and 16 others were injured in the first bloody attack in Dağlıca. Eight soldiers were kidnapped and released two weeks later. More than 30 terrorists were killed. Two soldiers were killed in May 2010.

The Yeşiltaş Outpost, located 5 kilometers north of Dağlıca, was targeted in June 2012. Eight soldiers were killed and 16 others were injured while 18 militants were killed.

Another soldier was killed in the Dağlıca area in August 2012, and the latest casualties were three soldiers who were killed on Aug. 14, 2015.

Although the region was relatively quiet for three years due to the reconciliation process, the Turkish Armed Forces frequently released statements that almost all outposts in the region, including Dağlıca, were being targeted by harassment fire, and there was a considerable PKK presence and activity in the region.

*Contributed by wire services