Şemdinli attack on October 9, 2016

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The attack in Şemdinli was on October 9, 2016 a suicide bomber of the PKK by car bomb against a station of Jandarma executed. The attacker, ten soldiers and five civilians were killed and 13 soldiers and 13 civilians were injured.

Course of events

The attack occurred on a Sunday, around 9:45 a.m. local time, at a checkpoint at Jandarma Station in Durak, Şemdinli County, Hakkâri Province . The station is located in a rural area between the cities of Şemdinli and Yüksekova , in the extreme southeast of Turkey, on the border with Iran and Iraq .

A suicide bomber from Van Province drove a truck loaded with around five tons of explosives into a Jandarma checkpoint and blew himself up, creating a crater about seven meters deep and ten to fifteen meters in diameter. There was extensive property damage at the station itself, and around ten civil and military vehicles were severely damaged. After initially assuming a higher number of victims, the deaths of ten soldiers and five civilians were later confirmed. Among them were a youth and an Iranian citizen. 26 people were injured and treated in nearby hospitals.

Reactions

The HPG , the armed arm of the PKK, assumed responsibility for the attack . The reason was Turkish military operations in the region and the prison conditions of the PKK founder Abdullah Öcalan . In addition, a video of the attack was published, on which the attacker can also be seen.

Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım confirmed the attack as a PKK suicide bombing and announced Turkey's determination to fight all forms of terrorist organizations. Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmuş announced that Turkey would never capitulate to terrorist organizations. Energy Minister Berat Albayrak condemned the attack in a speech in Istanbul and reminded countries that it is important to take a common stance against terrorism. President Recep Erdoğan also issued a written statement declaring his condemnation of the attack and declaring an intensification of measures to protect the citizens of Turkey from such attacks.

The spokesman for the United States National Security Council , Ned Price, strongly condemned the attack, as did Federica Mogherini , the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy .

In response to the attack, the Turkish army launched an airborne operation against the PKK, during which positions in the Çukurca district were bombed.

Web links

Coordinates: 37 ° 23 ′ 20.4 ″  N , 44 ° 32 ′ 11 ″  E