Kurdish–Turkish conflict (2015–present)

Kurdish–Turkish conflict (2015–present)
Part of the Kurdish–Turkish conflict (1978–present) and the Spillover of the Syrian Civil War
Controlled by the government of Turkey   Influenced by PKK and allies
Date 24 July 2015 – present (9 months, 1 week and 4 days) Location Eastern and Southeastern Turkey, Syria–Turkey border, Iraqi Kurdistan Status Ongoing
Belligerents
Turkey Turkish Armed Forces Special Forces Command PÖH JÖH Police Village Guard JİTEM Other forces: Grey Wolves[1] Turkish Revenge Brigade	Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) KCK HPG YJA-STAR YDG-H YPS YPS-Jin KDP/North PŞK KKP Revolutionary Headquarter PJAK[2] Kurdistan Freedom Falcons
Commanders and leaders
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Ahmet Davutoğlu Hulusi Akar	Murat Karayılan Cemil Bayık Bahoz Erdal (alleged)[3]
Strength
630,000 military personnel 410,000 reservists[4] (2015 figures, of which not all are directly involved) 46,000 Village Guards[5]	4,000–33,000[6][7]
Casualties and losses
430+ security forces killed (Turkish claim)[8] 1,557 security forces killed (PKK claim; in 2015)[9] 433 security forces killed (per the Crisis Group)[10]	3,800+ PKK members killed (Turkish claim)[8] 220 PKK members killed (PKK claim; in 2015)[9] 383 PKK members killed (per the Crisis Group)[10]
200 civilians killed (Kurdish claim)[11] 285 civilians killed (Turkish claim)[12] 250–400 civilians killed (independent estimates)[10][13] 196 unidentified killed (per the Crisis Group)[10] 250,000 displaced[14]

In late July 2015, the third phase of the Kurdish–Turkish conflict between the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the Turkish government erupted following a failed two-and-a-half-year-long peace process, aimed at resolving the long-running conflict.

The 2015 conflict between Turkey and the PKK broke out following two year-long peace negotiations, which began in late 2012, but failed to progress in light of the growing tensions on border with Syria in late 2014, when the Siege of Kobani created an unprecedented wave of Kurdish refugees into Turkey. Some of the Kurds accused Turkey of assisting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) during the crisis, resulting in widespread Kurdish riots in Turkey involving dozens of fatalities. The tensions further escalated in summer 2015 with the July 20 bombing in Suruç, allegedly executed by an ISIL-affiliated Turkish group against Kurdish supporters. On July 21, the PKK killed a Turkish soldier and wounded 2 more in Adıyaman.^[15] Some PKK supporters then claimed responsibility for the July 23 killing of two Turkish police officers in Ceylanpinar,^[16] describing it as a retaliation.^[17] (A week later, Group of Communities in Kurdistan (KCK) spokesman Demhat Agit denied official PKK involvement, saying "these are the units independent from the PKK. They are local forces which organized themselves and not affiliated with us."^[18])

On July 24, Turkey announced a military operation against PKK and ISIL targets in Iraqi Kurdistan and Rojava respectively, claiming to inflict dozens of fatalities on both fronts – which caused the PKK to withdraw from the peace talks and announce a full-scale rebellion. The same day, Turkey also performed a nationwide crackdown on PKK and ISIL operatives, arresting hundreds. The conflict then escalated, with pro-PKK Kurdish organizations staging attacks across the country, and Turkish forces attacks in the form of aerial bombardments and operations in the east of the country, including the Siege of Cizre in September 2015. In October 2015, the PKK declared a unilateral cease-fire, immediately after the 2015 Ankara bombings for November 2015 elections.

As of November 2015, Turkish authorities claimed that a number of towns and areas in Eastern Turkey had come under the control of the PKK rebels and affiliated armed organizations. The number of casualties in 2015 was claimed by Turkish government to be 5,000 Kurdish rebels killed in Turkey and northern Iraq, as well as 200 killed among Turkish security forces.^[19] The PKK claimed 1,557 Turkish security forces were killed in 2015 during the clashes in North and South Kurdistan, while it lost 220 fighters.^[9] According to the International Crisis Group, 1,262 people, including at least 250 civilians, were killed in Turkey between July and April 2016.^[10] The Kurdish lawyer Tahir Elçi was also among the victims.^[20]

Background

2015 timeline

July

Suruç bombing and suspected PKK retaliations

On 20 July 2015, a bombing in the predominantly Kurdish district of Suruç, allegedly perpetrated by the ISIL-linked Dokumacılar group, killed 32 young activists and injured over 100.

• On July 21, the PKK's military wing killed a Turkish soldier and wounded 2 more in Adıyaman Turkey, in retaliation for Suruc and what they claim was Turkey's collaboration with IS.^[21]
• On 22 July, in Ceylanpinar (Turkey), two policemen were murdered after being shot in the head by PKK fighters in their sleep.^[22][23] A week later, however, KCK spokesman Demhat Agit denied PKK involvement, saying "these are the units independent from the PKK. They are local forces which organized themselves and not affiliated with us" although despite the PKK claiming responsibility for the attack.."^[18][24]

Operation Martyr Yalçın against PKK

The July 22 and 23 attacks were largely seen as a casus belli, which resulted in Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu taking the decision to begin active air operations against PKK and ISIL positions south of Turkey's border.

• On 24 July, members of the PKK abducted a policeman in the province of Diyarbakir. Additionally two police officers were injured, one with life-threatening injuries, after a suspected PKK grenade attack in Hakkari.^[25]
• On 25 July, two Turkish soldiers were killed and four were wounded in a car bomb attack in the province of Diyarbakir in Turkey by PKK fighters.^[26][27]

Operations Arslan Kulaksız and Hamza Yıldırım

Turkish Forces on 26 July reportedly again attacked the same village west of Kobani targeting Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) fighters, and fired on a YPG vehicle west of Tell Abyad.^[28]

• On 26 July, it was reported that F-16s yet again took off from Diyarbakır, this time only targeting PKK targets in Northern Iraq. Although there was no official government statement on the airstrikes, PKK sources claimed that one of their key bases in Hakurk was attacked.^[29] It was reported that the number of fighter jets taking part was significantly lower than the jets that took part in the previous waves of the operation.^[30] The same day, Turkish artillery shelled a PKK position in the north of Iraq over several hours.^[31]
• On 27 July, in the province of Mus, a predominantly Kurdish area, the Turkish head of the gendarmerie of the Malazgirt district was killed.^[32]
• On 28 July, for the first time since the beginning of the operation, two Turkish F-16s bombed PKK fighters inside Turkey, in the province of Sirnak.^[33]
• On 28 July, the pipeline between Turkey and Iran was blown up in the province of Agri in Turkey, according to the authorities PKK involvement was suspected^[34] while, in a predominantly Kurdish town a sergeant of the Turkish army was killed; according to the army, the PKK is responsible.^[35] In another province, a police officer was kidnapped by suspected Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants in southeastern Turkey.^[36]
• On 28–29 July, a new wave of shelling was launched on the night connecting the 28th and 29th, PKK camps in Zap, Metina, Gara, Avaşin-Basyan, Hakurk and the Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq were hit by Turkish fighter jets in an operation named after the recently killed gendarmerie major, "Arslan Kulaksız".^[37]
• On 29 July, the oil pipeline between Kirkuk (Iraq) and Ceyhan (Turkey) was blown up in the east Turkey, in the Sirnak province^[38] while in Hakkari, police quarters was under attack with heavy arms, including rocket launchers and long barrel rifles.^[39] In an other attack, one soldier was killed and 4 other were wounded in an attack in the Doğubeyazıt district in the eastern province of Ağri.^[40]
• On 30 July, Turkish fighter jets flew over the YPG-held towns of Kobani and Sarrin at the same time as an ISIS attack on Sarrin town. On 31 July, Turkish reconnaissance aircraft once again flew over YPG territory in the north of Syria. While in Iraq, Turkish fighter jets shelling massively PKK positions.^[41]
• On 30 July, a policeman and a civilian were killed in the town of Cinar by PKK guerilla according to the authoritie,^[42] while three soldiers were killed in the attack of their convoy by PKK fighters in the province of Sirnak.^[43]
• On 31 July, Turkish fighter jets shelled bases of PKK in the north of Iraq, with 30 warplanes were involved. This operation was named "Hamza Yıldırım" in honor of the Corporal Hamza Yıldırım killed by the PKK in Turkey few day earlier.^[44]
• On 31 July, two policemen and two PKK fighters were killed by the PKK, in a PKK raid on a police station in Pozanti, Adana. In a separate incident, PKK rebels bombed a railway line in the province of Kars in the country's east, killing a worker,^[45][46] while three PKK fighters were killed in Agri province.^[47]

August

• On 1 August, two PKK fighters were killed and one civilian wounded in an attack in Çatak^[48] while PKK fighters took 70 hostages for two hours in the Kars-Erzurum-Iğdır highway.^[49] One soldier was killed in a mine explosion in Kars Province, reportedly by PKK.^[50]
• On 2 August, a suicide bomber attacked a military station in Doğubayazit, Ağrı Province. The attack resulted in the deaths of two Turkish soldiers and 31 injuries. Separately one soldier was killed and four injured after a military convoy hit a mine in the Mardin Province. Both attacks were blamed on the PKK.^[45]
• On 3 August, two Turkish soldiers were injured after a landmine exploded in Diyarbakir, reportedly by the PKK.^[51]
• On 4 August, PKK forces attacked a guard post in Şırnak Province with an RPG killing one soldier and injuring another. In a separate attack, a mine killed two soldiers, also in Şırnak Province resulting in Turkish F-16s targeting PKK camps in the country's Hakkarı Province, with no information on casualties.
• On 5 August, a PKK bombing left one civilian dead in Cizre, Şırnak Province. Another bombing, this time in Bitlis, caused no casualties or damage. Clashes occurred, in Diyarbakır Province, Hakkari Province and Bitlis Province with no reported casualties.^[52]
• On 6 August, clashes were reported in Tunceli Province, with no reported casualties.^[52]
• On 7 August, PKK attacks left eight dead during numerous attacks. In Silopi, Şırnak Province, five were killed during clashes between Police and the PKK, resulting in the deaths of at least one soldier and one police officer. In Doğubayazıt, Ağrı Province, a PKK attack left one soldier and one militant dead. A PKK attack on a police patrol in Milyat, Mardin Province killed one police officer. Elsewhere clashes were reported in Cizre and Uludere, Şırnak Province, Başkale, Van Province and Nusaybin, Mardin Province. PKK militants were also reported to have hijacked a minibus near Beytüşşebap, Şırnak Province.^[53][54]
• On 10 August, 9 people were killed in a series of PKK attacks in Turkey. In İstanbul, a car bomb targeted a police station, injuring ten police officers, one police officer and two attackers were killed in subsequent clashes. Two others attackers launched an attack on the US consulate in Istanbul however there were no casualties, police arrest one of the attackers, a female, in clashes following the attack. In Silopi, Şırnak Province, a mine hit a police convoy killing four officers. In Beytüşşebap, Sirnak Province, militants opened fire on a military helicopter, killing one soldier.^[55] Turkish security forces killed a female PKK fighter named Kevser Eltürk, took a picture of her body after they stripped her naked, and distributed the photo and they were congratulated by Turkish nationalists.^[56][57][58]
• On 13 August, three people were killed in PKK attacks, a gendarmerie sergeant was killed by a PKK landmine in Bingöl Province. Two PKK insurgents were killed in clashes in Beytüşşebap, Şırnak Province.^[59]
• On 14 August, 4 soldiers were killed in a series of PKK attacks. Three soldiers were killed and six injured during clashes with the PKK in Dağlıca, Hakkarı Province. A civilian was killed during clashes between Police and the PKK in Bağlar, Diyarbakır Province.^[59]
• On 19 August, 4 Turkish police officers were killed by a roadside bomb ^[60]

September

• On 3 September, PKK killed 4 Turkish police officers in Mardin province.^[61]
• On September 5, the Turkish security forces besieged Cizre, in a one-week operation. The operations were reported to result in about 30 deaths among city's Kurdish residents.^[62]
• On 6 September, PKK killed 16 Turkish soldiers by a double bombing on a military convoy in Hakkari Province.^[63]
• On 8 September, PKK forces ambushed a Police minibus killing 14 officers. A second attack also resulted in the shooting and killing of a police officer by PKK forces.^[63]
• On 25 September, two Turkish soldiers were killed and nine injured during clashes with the PKK.
• On 25–26 September, 34 Kurdish rebels, 4 civilans and 2 Turkish Soldiers were killed in Şırnak Province. PKK sources claimed 14 Kurdish rebels and 75 Turkish Soldiers were killed.^[64][65]

The Turkish police used "Armenian" as an insult to refer to the Kurdish people in Cizre and Burhan Kuzu, a senior adviser to the President of Turkey, claimed that PKK members were uncircumcised implying that they were non-Muslim Armenians, suggesting that non-Muslims are terrorists and trying to drive a wedge between "Muslim" Kurds and the PKK.^[66]

October

• On 2 October, the Turkish military entered the southeastern city of Silvan, in the Diyarbakır Province with tanks, armored carriers and hundreds of troops to seek out and destroy PKK elements within the city. Resulting clashes left at least 17 PKK militants dead while PKK affiliated locals alleged the Turkish military had bombed civilian areas with artillery.^[67]
• On 4 October, Hacı Lokman Birlik, brother in law of HDP MP Leyla Birlik, a known political PKK affiliate was killed by Turkish security forces in an armed clash, and his body was tied to an armored vehicle and dragged along a street by the Turkish police. The pro-government, AKP Sabah newspaper defended the act and claimed that dragging corpses by armored vehicles was standard procedure in case of a body being booby trapped with explosives which is relatively common for terrorists to do .^[68]
• On 10 October, a double suicide bombing was carried out in Ankara during an anti-war demonstration rally held by pro-Kurdish and communist civilians. The bombing resulted in at least 102 killed amongst pro-peace demonstrators.

November

• On 5 November, the Turkish military concluded the 40-day long 2015 Hakkari assault ground offensive in the mountains of the south-eastern border province in which hundreds of PKK fighters were killed, dozens of their bunkers were destroyed and dozens of anti-aircraft weaponry was captured.^[69]
• On 15 November, the Turkish Air Force bombarded 44 different locations with F-16s F-4E 2020 Terminators and unmanned drones in Northern Iraq in response to the PKK attempting to reconstruct depots, barracks, bunkers and hideouts that were destroyed earlier in the year by the air strikes conducted on the 31st of July.^[70]
• On 21 November, the Turkish Air Force struck 23 different locations in the Şırnak border province and in Northern Iraq destroying caches and hideouts severing PKK supply lines.^[71] On Saturday these included supply and shelter points in the mountains of Semidinli, Hakkari, south-east Turkey, north of their Iraqi and Iranian borders.
• On 22 November, the Turkish Air Force struck 7 different locations in the Hakkâri Province on the Iraqi border killing 10 PKK militants and destroying several shelters and supply points.^[72] Two civilians were also killed during the curfew in the Nusaybin district of Mardin province on the Sunday in which on Monday 23rd entered its tenth consecutive day. The Turkish chief of General Staff earlier this year released a statement saying the Military is sensitive when it comes to civilian casualties who are caught up in armed clashes.^[69][73]

December

• On 2 December, PKK militants set an remote controlled IED trap for a Turkish Army convoy killing 1 soldier and injuring 9 others in the explosion in the Mardin Province.^[74]
• On 2 December, PKK militants launched an armed attack on a police checkpoint during an curfew in Sur injuring 1 officer and killing 3 PKK insurgents in the clash.^[74]
• On 8 December, the Turkish Air Force launched night-time airstrikes consisting of 10 F-16s into Northern Iraq's Kandil, Harkuk, Zap and Avasin-Basyan regions.^[75]
• On 13 December, PKK militants launched 18 different explosive attacks on a police station in Dargeçit consisting of anti-armor RPG rockets and grenades injuring 4 police officers and 5 civilians just hours after counter-insurgency operation in the same town killed 11 militants.^[76]
• On 15 December, the Turkish Army and Police launched a massive scale terror hunt operation in Şırnak Province's towns of Cizre and Silopi imposing an initial 24 hour curfew to "prevent civilian casualties and maximize troop movement through-out the town." The HDP, Turkey's Kurdish and 2nd largest opposition party notably urged PKK militant elements to "resist" the operations. Traditionally focused on the countryside, the PKK has shifted to towns, setting up barricades and digging trenches to keep security forces away.
• On 17 December, In 7 days Turkish Army troops joined alongside with Police Special Operations backed by tanks, armored vehicle units, and helicopters killed over 127 militants as-well as capturing at-least 3 wanted, high-value PKK leaders as of December 18. Security forces raided cleared abandoned houses and trenches, destroyed barricades while fighting through and liberating militant strong-hold neighborhoods. In total, thousands of kilos of explosives and hundreds of assault weapons were seized. Tank shelling and artillery strikes in the surrounding mountains were also conducted along with the urban offensive that mainly focused on PKK housing, cut-off neighborhood strong holds and sniper positions targeting security forces. It is estimated half the towns population had been driven out since violence sparked-up earlier in the year leaving many un-occupied apartments and houses to be utilized by the PKK to fortify and reinforce their presence prior to this operation.^{[77][78][79][80][81][82][83][84][85]}
• On 18 December, the Turkish minister of the interior Efkan Ala declared over 3,000 PKK militant had been neutralized, 10 tons of explosives had been seized, and 2,240 weapons had been captured since the collapse of the ceasefire earlier that year in late July ^[86]
• On 21 December, a roadside bomb in Bitlis killed 2 soldiers and injured 8 others during an anti-PKK operation.^[87]
• On 21 December, an armed PKK assault in Sur district of Diyarbakır killed 1 soldier during an Army curfew-reinforcement patrol put in place to let Police forces root out PKK hide-outs.^[87]
• On 30 December, 3 soldiers were wounded when PKK rebels detonated an IED bomb in Sur.^[88]
• On 31 December, 1 police officer was killed and 5 others were injured during an police operation to disassemble barricades and fill in ditches dug up by militants when PKK rebels fired a rocket upon security forces in Cizre. Four of the injured officers who were in urgent condition were sent to the capital, Ankara for further medical treatment.^[88]
• On 31 December, 1 police officer died after a PKK bomb attack in Sur during a house operation against rebels. In the same operation Turkish security forces had seized an RPG, 3 rockets, an anti-tank missile, 30 electric bomb detonators and numerous PKK propaganda leaflets that police say aimed at provoking the public.^[88]

2016 Timeline

January

• On 1 January, 12 PKK militants, two Police and a civilian were killed in Cizre.^[89][90][91]

A Police officer was killed in Sur.^[89] A Soldier and one civilian was killed in Silopi^[91][92] A Turkish tank malfunctioned and was damaged in Cizre.^[93] A total of 18 were killed that day.

• On 3 January, mine trap set by the PKK the previous night in a neighborhood killed 3 Turkish soldiers in Sur.^[94]
• On 4 January, rocket attacks launched by the PKK's youth militant arm YDG-H at security forces in Şırnak resulted in an incurring shoot-out in which 2 rebels where killed.^[95]
• On 7 January, Turkish Forces killed 16 militants in Cizre and 2 in Sur bringing the PKK death toll over the last 3 weeks in the ^[96] to 426.^[97]
• On 7 January, the Turkish Military captured 58 PKK militants fleeing to Iraq disguised as local villagers in the town of Silopi of the Şırnak Province
• On 8 January, Turkish Police Special Operations, Rapid Response Force riot police and Police intelligence teams raided a HDP Kurdish opposition party's office in Istanbul arresting 5 Kurdish politicians after Police were informed that the murder weapon of the July 22nd 2015 murder of 2 police officers conducted by PKK rebels in their sleep in Ceylanpınar was being held in that office.^[97][98]
• On 9 January, a soldier and a police officer were shot-dead in an attack by PKK rebels in Diyarbakır, Turkey's largest predominantly Kurdish south-eastern city.^[99]
• On 10 January, heavy clashes during a counter-terrorism operation between the PKK and police in eastern Van killed 12 PKK rebels and a police officer. Security forces say the operation successfully prevented a large scale attack against government buildings.^[99]
• On 10 January, Turkish troops killed 20 PKK militants in Cizre, Silopi and Sur during clashes.^[99]
• On 12 January, Turkish Police detained 16 suspects belonging to the YDG-H in Elazığ during a raid in which documents explicitly planning a crowd demonstration to harm public buildings and boast PKK propaganda was seized similar to the January 7th elementary school burning incident in Sirnak. The documents themselves are believed to be handed down from the PKK to the YDG-H youth group.^[100]
• On 12 January, the Turkish Air Force conducted night-time air-strikes on PKK camps in the Great Zab, Gare, Avashin, and Basyan regions of northern Iraq using four F-16D's and two F-4 Terminator 2020 technologically modernized heavy combat aircraft whilst using drones to locate camps, quartering caves and shelters prior to the strike. In the same statement to press the Turkish Armed Forces expressed that 578 terrorists had been killed since December 15, bringing the overall PKK death toll to 3,678 since July 2015.^{[101][102][103]}
• On 14 January, a car bomb targeting a police station and police housing unit adjacent to the station killed 6 people and injured 40 in Çınar, Diyarbakır, southeastern Turkey. Amongst the dead where relatives of police including a family consisting of a wife, a 5 year old and an infant. Upon the initial bomb attack, PKK militants opened fire using rockets and assault weapons on the security complex resulting in a fierce fire-fight.^[104][105] The PKK claim the attack left over 30 Police officers dead as quoted by pro-Kurdish media, however admits than five civilian were killed as a result of the attack.^[106]
• On 14 January, Turkish Army troops killed 19 PKK militants in a government operations as-well as capturing a total of 10 PKK militants and affiliates. According to the Turkish General Staff, 12 were killed in heavy clashes in Cizre, 5 were killed and 10 were captured in Silopi, and 2 were killed in Sur.^{[107][108][109]}
• On 15 January, 1 Turkish Police Special Operations officer was wounded and killed in an raid on a PKK Sleeper cell in Siirt by sniper fire from PKK rebels. According to Turkish media reports, over 15,000 people attended the funeral of the slain officer Yalçın Yamaner in Tokat. The family of the slain officer whom were being accommodated in police family lodges are to be bought a house on the behalf of the General Directorate of Security.^{[109][110][111][112][113][114]}
• On 18 January, a total of 3 service members of the Turkish Police Special Operation Department were killed and 7 were wounded in a night-time IED trap set the day before targeting the convoy in Idil. Ensuing heavy clashes reportedly lasted till dawn.^[115]
• On 18 January, 2 Police Special Operations officers were killed and 12 were wounded in the Yenimahalle neighborhood of Şırnak Province when a police bus was struck by a rocket fired by PKK insurgents.^[115]
• On 18 January, a Turkish Army specialized sergeant succumbed to his injures and died shortly after being critically wounded by sniper fire in Sur.^[115]
• On 19 January, Cizre municipal council member Abdülhamit Poçal and Selman Erdoğan were killed and IMC TV cameraman Refik Tekin along with 10 others were wounded during a firefight between Turkish security forces and Kurdish militants though it is not clear who opened fire on the group. Pro-Kurdish sources allege that it was the Turkish side.^{[116][117][118]}
• On 19 January, Turkish Forces conducted an operation extracting a family from their neighborhood who had received threats from the PKK to not leave and stopping those who attempt to. The PKK calls for Kurds in the region to not leave their houses and participate in the so-called resistance.^[119]
• On 19 January, 3 Police Special Operations members were wounded when PKK militants opened fire on units removing roadblocks, dismantling barricades and filling up trenches set up by PKK elements.^[120]
• On 20 January, 2 Turkish soldiers were severally injured and later died when a home made bomb planted by PKK militants detonated during an ant-terror operation in Sur.^[121]
• On 21 January, new Turkish Military raids is Silopi led to the discovery of a U.S. made RQ-20 Puma UAV in the hands of PKK militants. Turkish Military officials believe that the ariel surveillance drone was handed to PKK elements by the YPG, the PKK's sister group based in Syria who are backed by the U.S. despite fierce Turkish objection. The discovery of the drone by Turkish troops further confirmed Turkey's suspicions of U.S. and various European weapons being supplied to the YPG would eventually end up in PKK hands. Despite the PKK being recognized as a terrorist organization by the United States, and the European Union, its sister organization, in which its fighters often overlap, is only recognized as a terrorist organization by Turkey.^[122][123]
• On 27 January, while clearing out boobytrapped barricades in Sur, 4 members of the Turkish security forces were killed in a simultaneously launched attack consisting of pre-planted remote detonated explosives, rocket and sniper fire by PKK militants consisting of 3 army soldiers and a Police Special Operations officer while also wounding critically wounding 6 others. According to the Turkish Army, ensuing fierce clashes killed 9 PKK militants.^[124][125]
• On 29 January, 2 Turkish troops were killed in separate armed attacks by PKK militants in Sur and Cizre. The soldiers reportedly succumbed to their injuries "despite all medical intervention".^[126]
• On 31 January, a Turkish soldier and two police officers were killed in clashes with the Kurdistan Workers' Party on Reyhan Street in Cizre’s Cudi neighborhood.^[127]

February

• On 1 February, 3 Turkish soldiers and 2 police were killed in the Sur district of Diyarbakır.^[128]
• On 3 February, the Turkish Air Force launched a massive scale air-strike operation consisting of around 40 jets and hit over 100 targets in Northern Iraq. Targets hit included a PKK meeting in Qandil.^[129]
• On 7 February, an intense hours long raid on a PKK safe-house were notorious members were based launched by Turkish army alongside the Police Special Operation Department killed 60 PKK militants in the basement of an apartment building. 3 Turkish troops were wounded amongst the fierce clashes by a bomb trap.^{[130][131][132][133]} During the raid, PKK militants were allegedly speaking on the phone with a Kurdish HDP minister who remains anonymous.^[134]
• On 12 February, Turkish Army troops killed 16 PKK militants in the town of Cizre, 5 in Sur and 6 in Hakkâri Province bringing the overall PKK death toll to 27 while 24 bodies of PKK militants killed in previous operations were recovered the same day.^{[135][136][137]}
• On 17 February, a Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK) militant^[138] carried out a car bomb attack in Turkey's capital of Ankara killing 28 people, including 27 military personnel, and injuring a further 61. The attack targeted a bus full of military personnel in close proximity to the Turkish Armed Forces Department of Defense and parliament building. Security forces have currently detained 14 people in connection with the bombing.^{[139][140][141][142]}

The government held both the YPG and PKK responsible for the attack, even after the TAK claimed responsibility. It was later confirmed by DNA reports that the perpetrator was a TAK militant.^{[143][144][145]}

• On 18 February, Turkish Air Force fighter jets launched large scale air strikes in northern Iraq in response to the previous days Ankara bombing hitting a group of 60-70 rebels including senior commanders in Qandil.^[146][147]
• On 18 February, a roadside bomb in Diyarbakır Province killed 6 Turkish troops troops while another two were killed in armed attacks in the Şırnak Province.^{[146][147][148]}
• On 19 February, 3 Turkish soldiers were killed during operations against PKK militants in a building collapse.^[149]
• On 20 February, Turkish F-16's stuck PKK shelters and bunkers in northern Iraq's Qandil region.^[150][151]
• On 23 February, Turkish Forces killed 6 PKK militants in clashes in Idil.^[152]
• On 24 February, the Turkish Forces killed 20 PKK militants in heavy clashes during ongoing counter insurgency operations in Idil.^[152]
• On 24 February, Turkish Army AH-1 Super Cobra attack helicopters killed 12 PKK militants attempting to infiltrate the town of Idil from the Syrian border.^{[153][154][155]}

March

• On 1 March, Turkish authorities partially lifted their curfew on the town of Cizre.^[156]
• On 6 March, Released data stating that 1,250 militants had been killed since July of last year in the Nusaybin, Dargecit and Derik districts of Mardin Province. The report further more stated that over 3,000 explosives targeting security forces had been defused and 2,307 barricades and ditches were dismantled and filled.^[157][158]
• On 6 March, 6 convicted PKK militants broke out of Diyarbakır Prison. Roll call indicated 6 where shown missing. As a result, security measurers at the prison were increased and an operation to locate the whereabouts of the escapees are underway.^[159][160]
• On 7 March, Turkish troops killed 4 PKK militants in the Sur district of Diyarbakır Province and defused 16 explosive devices aimed at sabotaging troops.^[161]
• On 7 March, Turkish counter insurgency operations killed 6 PKK militants in Idil. Turkish troops defused a total of 18 explosive devices in the same operation.^[161]
• On 9 March Turkish airstrikes reportedly hit PKK shelters, ammunation depots and supply lines in northern Iraq explained in a statement in the 11 March airstrikes.^[162]
• On 11 March, Turkish Air Force airstrikes reportedly killed at least 67 PKK militants in northern Iraq. Turkish F-16's and F-4E Terminator 2020's reportedly struck PKK headquarters situated on the Iran-Iraq border. i^{[163][164][165]}
• On 13 March, a suspected PKK car bombing in the capital Ankara killed 37 civilians and injured a further 125 when the car accelerated and crashed into a bus before exploding in one of the busiest areas in the city and just a few hundred yards from the prime ministers office. Those killed include the father of renowned soccer player Umut Bulut.^[166][167] Four days later, the TAK claimed responsibility for the attack.^[168]
• On 14 March, a day after the Ankara bombing, 11 Turkish Air Force warplanes struck 18 different targets in Northern Iraq in response to the suspected PKK bombing.^[169][170] At least 45 suspect PKK militants were killed.^[171]
• On 16 March Turkish police detained 73 PKK terror suspects including lawyers throughout the country during simultaneous raids in connection to the March 2016 Ankara bombing.^[172]
• On 21 March, 4 Turkish army troops and a Police Special Operations operative were killed in a bomb attack in Nusaybin.^[173]
• On 22 March, an attack by PKK militants killed a Turkish soldier and injured 6 others in Nusaybin.^[174]
• On 23 March, Turkish Air Force F-16's and F-4 Terminator 2020's struck several PKK targets in northern Iraq and in Turkey's bordering south eastern mountains including shelters, caves, weapons caches, and militants killing at-least 24 insurgents.^{[175][176][177][178]}
• On 24 March Turkish forces killed a PKK linked YPS leader in Sirnak^[179]
• On 24 March, 3 Turkish troops were killed in a PKK bomb attack in Nusaybin.^[180]
• On 28 March, documents were released by the Turkish government which indicated that they have made a decision to illegally confiscate 9,000 acres of property in the historic city center of Diyarbakir, including thousands of private properties and 6 churches owned by religious foundations. The Turkish Government claims that they appropriated the land and properties in the historic district in order to rebuild and repair them, although locals are skeptical of this, with the appropriations sparking more conflict in the region.^[181]
• On 29 March, a ruling party AKP minister was kidnapped by PKK militants.^[182]
• On 29 March, ongoing Turkish military operations killed 16 PKK militants in Nusaybin.^[183]
• On 29 March, Turkish troops killed 9 PKK militants during clashes in Sirnak.^[183]
• On 29 March, Turkish troops killed 3 PKK militants and recovered one body of a previously killed militant during clashes in Yuksekova ^[183]
• On 31 March, 7 police officers were killed and 27 people were injured by a PKK car bomb in Diyarbakır after a vehicle laden with explosives rammed into a police bus and detonated.^[184][185]

April

• On 1 April, a Turkish soldier was killed in Nusaybin as a result of an armed PKK attack during ongoing military operations.^[186]
• On 2 April, a Turkish soldier was killed in Sirnak during armed PKK attack.^[187]
• On 2 April, 5 Turkish troops and a Police Special Operations officer was killed in Nusaybin by an IED bomb planted by PKK militants.^[188][189]
• On 3 April, Turkish Forces killed seventeen militants in Yuksekova, six in Nusaybin and four in Sirnak in anti-insurgency operations bringing the total to 27.^[190]
• On 4 April, a Turkish soldier was killed by PKK militants during clashes in Nusaybin.^[191]
• On 4 April, a member of the paramilitary Kurdish Village guard forces whom are fighting alongside Turkish Forces against PKK insurgents, was killed by PKK militants disguised as doctors in front of a clinic in Bitlis.^[192]
• On 5 April, Turkish Air Force F-16's and F-4 Terminator 2020's attacked PKK targets in the Qandil Mountains of Northern Iraq, targets struck include PKK weapons caches, ammunition depots & militant shelters killing 67 militants.^{[193][194][195]}
• On 5 April, a Turkish army tank en route to ongoing regional military operations traveling as a part of an armored convoy through the mountainous terrain of Uludere fell off of a cliff tumbling into a canyon below killing 1 crew member and injuring another.^{[196][197][198]}
• On 6 April, a Turkish soldier was killed by PKK militants during an attack on a convoy en route to an military operation in Bismil.^[199]
• On 6 April a Kurdish Village guard was killed in clashes with PKK militants in Bitlis.^[200]
• On 7 April a Turkish soldier and Police Special Operations officer was killed by an IED bomb attack in Nusaybin during ongoing military operations to root out militants.^[201]
• On 8 April Turkish warplanes struck unspecified targets in south eastern Turkey and Northern Iraq.^[202]
• On 8 April, Turkish forces killed 12 PKK militants in military operations in the countries south-east. 7 in Nusaybin, 3 in Hakkari and 2 militants in Sirnak.^[203]
• On 10 April, the Turkish Army launched an operation in Hakkari killing 19 PKK militants in various districts. Turkish troops recovered dozens of hand made bombs, AK-47 style assault rifles, RPG-7 rockets and rocket launchers during the operation which lasted around an hour.^[204][205]
• On 12 April, an massive truck-bomb attack by PKK militants on the Hani regional Gendarmerie headquarters killed 3 Turkish soldiers and injured 54 others.^{[206][207][208]}
• On 12 April during clashes between Turkish troops and PKK in Hakkari an explosion unknown and random explosion most likely from an IED bomb killed 1 soldier and injured 4 others.^[209]
• On 12 April a gun attack by PKK militants killed 1 soldier and injured 4 others during ongoing military operations in Sirnak.^[210]
• On 12 April a gun attack by PKK militants killed 1 soldier and critically injured another in Nusaybin.^[211]
• On 13 April, Cemil Ates, a senior PKK militant leader was killed during clashes with security forces in Muş^[212]
• On 16 April, 5 Police Special Operations officers were killed and 6 others were wounded by a roadside bomb in Savur.^[213]
• On 17 April, 23 PKK militants were killed in the mountains of Tunceli in a military operation by troops and attack helicopters after a Turkish UAV spotted a group of militants.^[214][215]
• On 21 April, Turkish F-16's carried out air-strikes in the mountains of Hakkari and Sirnak destroying PKK targets.^[216]
• On 22 April, 3 Turkish soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb planted by PKK militants in Tunceli.^[217]
• On 22 April, Turkish forces killed 8 PKK militants in ongoing military operations in Sirnak.^[218]
• On 22 April, Turkish forces killed 4 PKK militants in ongoing military operations in Nusaybin.^[218]
• On 22 April, Turkish troops killed 18 PKK militants attempting to cross the border into Syria's Qamishli region from Turkey's south eastern Nusaybin region.^[219]
• On 22 April Turkish troops killed 6 PKK militants in Mardin and Sirnak.^[220]
• On 23 April a Turkish Gendarmerie soldier was killed by PKK sniper fire in Mardin.^[220]
• On 23 April, Turkish Air Force F-16's and F-4E 2020 Terminator fighter jets struck several targets in Northern Iraq.^[221]
• On 25 April, 2 Turkish soldiers were killed by a bomb attack by PKK in Mardin.^[222]
• On 27 April, one police officer was killed and two were wounded in an attack by PKK in Varto.^[223]
• On 28 April, two soldiers and 10 PKK members were killed in counter-terrorism operations.^[224]
• On 30 April, 20 Turkish fighter jets struck scores of PKK targets in air-raids in Northern Iraq and Sirnak's vast and mountainous border region within Turkey.^[225]

May

• On 1 May, 3 Turkish soldiers were killed and 14 others were wounded in the Nusaybin district when the PKK attacked an army bomb disposal team with rockets.^[226]
• On 2 May, 24 PKK militants were killed in ongoing military operations in the south-east. 7 were killed in Sirnak, 6 in Nusaybin, 6 in Cukurca and 5 in Semdinli.^[227]
• On 2 May, 18 PKK militants were killed in air-strikes by F-16 and F-4 Terminator 2020 fighter jets in the Qandil Mountains of Northern Iraq.^[227]

Parties

Turkish military

Turkish Forces consisting of Turkish Land Forces troops, Gendarmerie operatives and Police Special Operations teams backed by the rest of the Turkish Armed Forces have been rooting out insurgents embedded within the cities of the predominantly Kurdish south east after the main fighting force of the PKK body was eliminated in Turkey's south eastern mountains early on in the conflict by the Army during the Hakkari assault. However PKK bases remain active in Northern Iraq and its leadership suspectedly in Syria and the Qandil Mountains in Iran.^[228][229] From the traditional preceding Turkish-PKK conflicts the PKK rebellion has transitioned into urban warfare in the country's densely populated south east.^[230]

PKK and affiliates

The Turkish military claims an extensive connection between the Syrian-based PYD and the Iraqi-based PKK Kurdish militants. The PKK is regarded as a terrorist organization by the European Union, NATO, and the United States however the PYD is backed by Coalition Forces including the United States in the fight against ISIS.^{[231][232][233]} Turkish officials express that weapons supplied to the PYD end up in PKK hands such as an American-made drone was discovered in the border town of Silopi. Turkish Army officials traced it back to the PYD in which it was supplied too by coalition forces in excess to weapons.^[234][235]

Foreign mercenaries in Cizre

As of late January, Turkish news outlets were reporting the spotting of allegedly foreign mercenaries mainly consisting of snipers in Cizre, which has had the highest death toll amongst any other district standing at 597 PKK militants and 23 Turkish Army troops and Police Special Operation Department officers.^[236][237] According to some intelligence sources and an interrogation report of a captured alleged Serbian sniper the PKK has been hiring international assassins and mercenaries to target Turkish Army troops especially those of high rank and local civilians.^[238] A number of these alleged mercenaries have been killed in clashes with Turkish troops. According to media sources foreign nationals killed include British, German, Serbian fighters evidently hired by the PKK of unknown alliance.^{[239][240][241]} The Serbian consulate in Ankara issued a statement after Turkish prime minister Ahmet Davutoğlu's remarks about foreign snipers targeting ambulances said that "The Republic of Serbia strongly opposes any eventual participation of its citizens in any armed conflicts in third countries".^{[242][243][244]} While the presence of foreign snipers were confirmed by the Turkish government and foreign minister Efkan Ala, he added however Turkey did not disclose the nationalities of the alleged mercenary snipers calling it "speculation".^[245][246]

Impact

Civilian impact

According to Turkish Human Rights Foundation, there have been 52 intermittent curfews in seven predominantly Kurdish towns where 1.3 million people live, sometimes lasting as long as 14 days. The organization puts the civilian death toll since the summer of 2015 at 124.^[247] The situation in the South-East has little coverage in the Turkish media. The authorities have enforced a blockade over the region and have shut down both cell phone coverage and the internet. Hundreds of houses, dozens of schools and official buildings have been damaged by artillery and gun fire from militants,^[248] and civilians have been allegedly fired at. Turkish Forces have used measures like tank fire to clear out bomb-trapped barricades which lead to damage of residential buildings.^[249] It is estimated that more than 200,000 people have been displaced. According to the HRW, civilian death toll is around 100. Diyarbakir branch of the Human Rights Association accuses Turkish Armed Forces and Gendarmerie of targeting civilians under the pretext of fighting terrorism.^[250] Many residents in the southeastern cities have been trapped without food or electricity as clashes between Kurdish militants and Turkish security forces have intensified. In December 2015, town of Cizre, was under curfew for more than two weeks, with mounting civilian casualties. According to a teacher from the district of Silopi, the tanks fire all day and people have nowhere left to hide and they are dying in their own homes.^[251]

Internal reactions

Academics petition

On January 11, 2016, more than 1000 scholars and academics from 90 Turkish Universities and abroad signed a petition entitled "We won’t be a party to this crime,"^[252] calling for an end to the government's crackdown on the PKK, and a resumption of the peace process. They also criticized the use of tanks in urban centers calling it a deliberate massacre of Kurdish people.^[253] On January 12, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sharply criticized the dissident academics which included David Harvey, Immanuel Wallerstein, Slavoj Žižek and Noam Chomsky and accused them of being a fifth column of foreign powers.^[254] He also called on the Turkish judiciary to move against the "treachery". All 1,228 Turkish signatories were subsequently placed under investigation.^[252] Erdoğan invited Chomsky to visit the area in a televised speech to a conference of Turkish ambassadors in Ankara. However Chomsky rejected the offer and said: "If I decide to go to Turkey, it will not be on his invitation, but as frequently before at the invitation of the many courageous dissidents, including Kurds who have been under severe attack for many years." He also accused Erdoğan of aiding ISIS and the al-Nusra Front.^[255] On January 14, Düzce University in northwest Turkey dismissed an associate sociology professor after she signed the declaration and On January 15, Erdogan attacked the signatories again, accusing them of supporting the Kurdish rebels and said " having a PhD title doesn't necessarily make you an intellectual. These are people in the dark. They are cruel and despicable."^[256] That same day, Turkish authorities arrested 14 signatories, including 12 academics from Kocaeli University, accusing them of spreading "terrorism propaganda" and of insulting the state.^[257] U.S. Ambassador John Bass released a statement expressing his concern regarding the arrests. He also said "Expressions of concern about violence do not equal support for terrorism. Criticism of government does not equal treason."^[258] On January 16, main opposition leader Kemal Killicdaroglu sharply criticized Erdoğan over detention of dissident academics and called him a dictator. Two days later, lawyers for Turkish President filed a lawsuit against him and a prosecutor from the Ankara prosecutors' office also launched an investigation into his comments on charges of "openly insulting the president", a crime punishable by up to four years in jail.^[259][260]

See also

• Cizre operation (2015)
• 2015–16 Şırnak clashes
• 2015-16 Hakkari assault

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