Security sources claim Turkey has killed 390 PKK members in two weeks
Turkish forces have killed a total of 390 people in two weeks of airstrikes targeting the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), according to anonymous security sources quoted by Anadolu Agency.
Since a suicide bombing in Suruc, southern Turkey, killed 32 people on 20 July, Turkey has witnessed a wave of bombings and shootings, some of which have been claimed by the PKK.
The PKK, which had been party to a ceasefire agreement with the central government since 2013, stepped up its attacks after the bombing, saying the government had not done enough to protect the country’s Kurdish minority.
Since the bombing, more than 20 members of the security forces have been killed in attacks, mostly in the southeast of the country.
The Turkish government has responded, launching air raids against PKK camps in northern Iraq.
Mass police raids have also been conducted, with at least 1,300 people arrested in less than two weeks.
A probe was launched on Saturday after leaked footage appeared to show a member of the Turkish Special Forces threatening a group of workers, who are handcuffed and lying face down on the ground, saying the workers will “see the strength of the Turk”.
The video, reportedly shot at a construction site in a majority Kurdish area last week, features an officer shouting in Turkish, “you will see the strength of the Republic of Turkey”.
Prime Ministerial sources told local news site Daily Sabah on Saturday that an investigation would be launched into “a video depicting our citizens laid on the ground within the scope of counter-terrorism operations”.
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