PKK terrorists continue to target civilians in Turkey

By Ali Yildiz

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (AA) - The weakened PKK terror group continued to target civilians in Turkey to make its presence felt.

In the latest attack, Mevlut Bengi, a shopkeeper in a small village of eastern Agri province's Dogubayazit district, was shot dead on Tuesday, 26 June.

He was working as an election observer during the June 24 parliamentary and presidential elections.

A note -- which reads “he was killed for being a spy for the government since 2015”, was found near his dead body.

The ruling Justice and Development Party workers -- including lawmaker Ibrahim Halil Yildiz -- campaigning last week on Thursday were also attacked by an armed group in Suruc district of southeastern Sanliurfa province, leaving four people dead and eight others injured.

Although Yildiz survived the attack with no injuries, his older brother Mehmet Ali Yildiz died after succumbing to his wounds in the hospital.

The terrorists, who lost the support of the locals in rural areas following counter-terror operations by Turkish security forces, are now attacking city centers.

In September 2017, three Afghan nationals were killed in the same province when PKK terrorists attacked a minibus. Seven others were also injured in the attack.

- Operation Olive Branch

The terror group carried out 90 attacks in Turkish provinces from Syria's Afrin region during the Turkish Operation Olive Branch. A total of seven people -- including two Syrian nationals -- lost their lives in the attacks and 107 others, including children, were wounded.

Out of the total, 88 were rocket attacks, one was a missile attack and another was a mortar shell directed at civilians in Turkey. 34 of the attacks took place in Kilis city center, while 56 were carried out in Hatay's Reyhanli, Hassa and Kirikhan districts.

In the attacks on Reyhanli, 320 houses or businesses were damaged, while 33 vehicles became unusable.

On Jan. 20, 2018, Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch to remove YPG/PKK and Daesh terrorists from Afrin. On March 18, Turkish troops and Free Syrian Army members liberated the town of Afrin, on the 58th day of the operation.

In 2017, over 20 civilians were killed in PKK attacks in eastern and southeastern provinces.

On Aug. 11, 2017, 16-year-old Eren Bulbul was killed in a PKK attack in Macka district of the northeastern Trabzon province when he was showing a terrorist hideout to security forces.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the death of some 40,000 people.