MESOPOTAMIA NEW TODAY: NEXT TARGET PKK HEADQUARTERS IN KANDIL TERMINATED?

NORTH KURDISTAN (TURKEY) – Turkish forces clash with PKK guerrillas in Sirnak

RUDAW 9 June 2018 – ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Turkish forces have clashed with Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighters in the mountainous areas of southwestern Sirnak near the border with the Kurdistan Region, according to Turkey’s interior ministry. Nine PKK fighters have been “neutralized” and one Turkish policeman has been killed, according to CNN Turk. One Turkish soldier has also been wounded in the operation, which began on Friday.

Suleyman Soylu, Turkey’s interior minister, told the broadcaster that border areas like Sirnak and Hakkari will remain difficult to control until the PKK base in the Qandil mountains of the northern Kurdistan Region is terminated.

“Previously, Qandil was a far target for us, now it is a close target. We are waiting for the proper time. Qandil is one of the sources of terror. Qandil is not only a strategic point, but also an international meeting center for terror. Qandil is a psychological center which has tested Turkey’s power … It is difficult to control Sirnak and Hakkari borders physically because their line is not correct,” said Soylu.

The PKK is a banned political party in Turkey and designated as a terrorist organization by Brussels and Ankara. The group has waged a sometimes armed struggle against the Turkish state on and off for nearly three decades.
The latest fighting follows comments by Turkey’s Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli, who said Turkey will “eradicate” the PKK in northern Iraq.“We are doing what is necessary to totally eradicate [terrorism], and we will do it till the end,” Canikili told reporters on the sidelines of a session at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Friday.

The Turkish military has increased its activities against the PKK headquarters of Qandil, a northeast border region in the Kurdistan Region next to Turkey and Iran.“Since the beginning of the new year, more than 500 terrorists have been neutralized in operations in northern Iraq,” said Canikili.
Turkish PM Binali Yildirim told private broadcaster NTV that Qandil, Makhmour, or Sinjar could be next.  “We respect the territorial integrity of Syria or Iraq,” said Yildirim on Friday.
Yildirim didn’t confirm that Iran would coordinate with Turkey on the Qandil operation. He did call for “neighboring countries” to help with future operations.

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