| Submit your comments on this article | |
| Europe | |
| Turkey: Militant casualty figures rejected by PKK | |
| 2009-01-10 | |
| (AKI) - The separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) has rejected Turkish estimates of the number of militants it claims to have killed by the military during 2008. "The statistics published by the Turkish government regarding the number of deaths and injured among the rank and file of the PKK during 2008 are totally unreal, " a source for the PKK's military wing told Adnkronos International (AKI). The source claimed that the figures were "greatly exaggerated" to dampen the anger of Turkish public opinion and to cover up the "serious losses" suffered by the Turkish army in its conflict with the PKK. The comments followed the release of statistics by the Turkish army showing that 670 PKK fighters were killed in 2008, while hundreds of others were detained and imprisoned by Turkish security forces. The military source said the only correct thing contained in the Turkish government's estimates was the admission by the Turkish army that it launched 373 attacks against PKK bases. "As for the rest, the numbers they compiled are false and greatly exaggerated," he said.
Turkish warplanes and Iranian artillery are reported to have bombarded Kurdish rebel hideouts in northern Iraq on Monday. | |
| Posted by:Fred |