Turkey: AK Party member shot dead in Diyarbakir

By Hasan Namli

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (AA) – The ruling AK Party southeastern Diyarbakir's Lice district deputy chairman Orhan Mercan was shot dead early Saturday, the party’s district chairman told Anadolu Agency.

Mercan was shot in front of his house in the Mulla neighborhood and taken to Lice State Hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to Ismail Demir.

Initial indications point to the PKK being responsible for the attack, Demir said.

The PKK is listed as a terror organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU.

More than 1,200 victims, including security personnel and civilians, have lost their lives in PKK attacks in Turkey since the terror group resumed its decades-old campaign against the state in July 2015.

According to Turkey's defense minister, more than 10,000 terrorists have been since killed in security operations.