An operation personally overseen by Chief of General Staff General Necdet Özel in Hakkâri's Şemdinli district has encircled a 200-member group of terrorists within the city center, closing off all routes of escape.
The Hakkâri Governorship has announced that in operations staged between September 8th and the 13th, 75 terrorists were rendered ineffective while four soldiers were killed in the line of duty.
Ten terrorists were killed in yesterday's operation, which was staged by seven battalions consisting of professional soldiers. As a result, over the past eight days, the death toll of terrorists killed in Şemdinli has reached 85. A village guard was also killed in yesterday's operations and nine were wounded, six of which were soldiers. Meanwhile, in operations taking place in rural regions of Diyarbakır and Şırnak, a total 40 terrorists were killed, while an air operation in Northern Iraq also rendered 25 terrorists ineffective.
Approximately 4,000 soldiers are serving in the ongoing operations in Şemdinli with the elite 'Maroon Berets' and Gendarmerie Special Forces (JÖH) amongst the ranks. Operations continue in Mount Goman, the Mergesav district, and in certain spots in the Bağlar and Günyazı villages. Thursday night. F-16's and Cobra jets bombed rural regions in Şemdinli as well as areas along the border with Iraq. In the morning hours the helicopters returned to outposts in order to dispatch soldiers in Şemdinli.
A SPECIAL BRIGADE FOR ŞEMDİNLİ
According to the information obtained, General Özel has ordered the assignment of a permanent commando brigade to replace the current system of shifting troops to provide security in the region. This special commando brigade which will be assigned to securing the region and to provide immediate response will consist of 700 personnel, most of which will be brought in from the 23rd Motorized Infantry in Istanbul.
Combat also erupted between security forces and PKK terrorists who attempted to stage an attack with a bomb-laden vehicle on the Tepe Gendarmerie Station in Diyarbakır's Lice district. One soldier was wounded in combat and an air operation was initiated in the region.
Explaining how the attack was intervened, Diyarbakır Governor Mustafa Toprak stated, "Two missiles were launched on the military station just as the vehicle exploded, however the alertness of the soldiers on duty prevented the attack from further escalating."
This is a translation of an article originally written by Ceyda Karaaslan and Necmi Ertuş.