Two soldiers, 13 militants killed as army launches 'Autumn clean-up' against PKK

Two Turkish soldiers were killed and four were injured in clashes with militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the eastern province of Hakkari today.

A squadron of soldiers taking part in a military operation in Kazan Valley in Hakkari's Çukurca district came in contact with PKK militants this morning, resulting in a firefight.

Specialist Cpl. Hayrullah Engizek, 23, and an unidentified soldier were killed in the clashes according to while 13 PKK militants were killed in the ongoing clashes near Çukurca.

The soldiers were part of a large-scale military operation launched by Turkish Armed forces, called "Autumn clean-up." A convoy of armored personnel carriers had left the Gendarmerie Commando Battalion in Çukurca, transporting soldiers to Kazan Valley on Turkey's border with Iraq.

A landmine was detonated, meanwhile, near city center of the eastern province of Şırnak during the passage of a military vehicle yesterday night. Two specialist sergeants were injured in the explosion.

The PKK is recognized as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

Turkish army ‘shares sorrow’ of convicted soldiers

Turkey's General Staff feels “sorrow” for the sentences that were meted out on Sept. 21 to 324 soldiers as part of the “Balyoz” (Sledgehammer) case, the military said in a statement released today.

"We deeply feel and share the sorrow of our friends-in-arms and their families. The Turkish Armed Forces [TSK] believes that a righteous and definite decision will come out at the end of the judicial process. The TSK, as it did in the past, respects the superiority of law,” it said.

A court in Istanbul sentenced 324 retired and serving soldiers to prison terms ranging between 13 and 20 years in the Balyoz case, which heard allegations that soldiers planned to overthrow the government through a variety of measures, including the bombing of two prominent Istanbul mosques, an attack on a museum by perpetrators disguised as Islamists and the raising of tensions with Greece by shooting down a Turkish jet in an incident that was to blamed on the Aegean neighbor.

The convicted soldiers include retired Air Force Cmdr. Gen. İbrahim Fırtına, retired First Army Cmdr. Gen. Çetin Doğan and retired Navy Cmdr. Adm. Özden Örnek, who were each sentenced to 20 years in prison for drawing up the reported coup plans after taking part in an army seminar in 2003.

Turkish Army denies WSJ report on jet downed by Syria

The Turkish General Staff gas denied claims by The Wall Street Journal that a Turkish jet shot down by Syria on June 22 was hit in Syrian air space.

The General Staff published a statement on its website July 1, giving detailed information on the plane's last known coordinates. "The plane was shot 13 miles off the Syrian coast, in international air space. The last coordinates at which the plane resumed controlled flight were 35 48.22 North, 35 33.21 East. From that point on, the plane quickly began to lose speed and altitude, crashing near 35 48.26 North, 35 37.59 East, within Syrian waters."

The statement said the plane was flying solo and unarmed in a mission to test radar systems. 

Turkey warns Syria: Any solider who approaches border will be seen as a threat

 

Turkish PM says Turkey was in the right over Syria's shooting down of Turkish plane, warns against Syrian military moves along the border.

Turkey will treat any Syrian military units which approach its border as a threat and a military target, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday.

Erdogan also said Turkey was totally in the right over Syria's shooting down of a Turkish plane and that Ankara's rational response to the incident should not be mistaken for weakness.

"Everybody should know that Turkey's wrath is just as strong and devastating," Erdogan said in a speech to his ruling AK Party deputies in parliament.

The army's rules of engagement along the two countries' border had now changed, he said.

"Every military element approaching Turkey from the Syrian border and representing a security risk and danger will be assessed as a military threat and will be treated as a military target," he said.

Turkey has demanded backing from its NATO allies over the shoot down and has called a meeting in Brussels under Article 4 of the alliance's charter, which provides for consultations when a member state feels its territorial integrity or security is under threat.

Turkey has rejected assertions from Damascus that its forces had no option but to fire on the F-4 jet as it flew over Syrian waters close to the coast on Friday and has branded the shooting an "act of aggression". It says the aircraft was an unarmed reconnaissance plane flying over international waters.

The incident has heightened tensions between Turkey and Syria already strained over the 16-month uprising against Syrian President Bashar Assad's rule.