Turkey: Seven soldiers killed in PKK attack in Batman province October 4

Event

Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fighters detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) in Gercus (Batman province; southeast) on Thursday, October 4, killing seven Turkish soldiers and wounding three others. An operation is reportedly underway to capture the attackers.

Context

Turkey has been faced with a Kurdish insurgency since 1984, spearheaded by the PKK and concentrated in the southeast, demanding increased autonomy and an end to the oppression of Kurdish groups within the country. The armed conflict resumed in 2015 following the dissolution of a ceasefire established between the government and the PKK in 2013. The conflict has left over 40,000 people dead since 1984 and associated violence continues to pose a significant security risk in southeastern Turkey.

Tensions between the Turkish state and Kurdish populations have intensified further since the launch of Operation Olive Branch, a Turkish offensive against Kurdish groups in Syria, in January 2018. The operation succeeded in pushing the Kurdish People's Protection Units from the Afrine region of Syria in March.

Advice

Due to the ongoing conflict between the Turkish government and the PKK, some Western governments advise against travel to various southeastern areas, notably areas along the Syrian and Iraqi borders.