PKK claims suicide attack on gas pipeline, killing 30 Turkish soldiers
DIYARBAKIR-AMED, Turkey Kurdistan,— At least 30 Turkish soldiers were killed when a Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighter launched a suicide attack on a pipeline in Agri province in Turkish Kurdistan near the Iran-Turkey border on Tuesday, the group claimed in a statement.
The attack was carried out by Sema Kocer, a 25-year-old PKK fighter, in Dogubeyazit at around 5am on Tuesday, according to a statement published by the pro-Kurdish ANF news agency.
Turkey is yet to confirm the cause of the attack or the number of casualties. According to the PKK, at least 30 Turkish troops died and “dozens” were injured. Five armored vehicles were also destroyed.
The Turkish troops were guarding a gas pipeline, which was damaged in the attack, disrupting Iranian gas exports to Turkey.
Mehdi Jamshidi-Dana, director of National Iranian Gas Co., confirmed the damage to the pipeline and said exports would resume following repairs.
“The damaged part of Iran’s gas export pipeline to Turkey will be repaired within the next few days,” he said, according to Mehr News.
The pipeline carries around 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas each year. This is not the first time it has been targeted by the PKK.
Turkish state broadcaster TRT Haber shared footage of Tuesday’s attack. It said the cause of the blast is currently under investigation.
Turkey’s defense ministry issued a statement shortly after the explosion claiming its forces had “neutralized” a member of the PKK who wanted to enter Turkey from Iran.
It did not mention Turkish casualties.
Sema Kocer, the alleged attacker, is the nom de guerre of Rewshen Askara, who was born in Siirt province in 1995 and joined the ranks of the PKK in 2014, according to the group’s statement.
The PKK, a Marxist group, took up arms in 1984 against the Turkish state, which still denies the constitutional existence of Kurds, to push for greater autonomy in Turkish Kurdistan (Bakur, northern Kurdistan) for the Kurdish minority who make up around 22.5 million of the country’s 79-million population. More than 40,000 Turkish soldiers and Kurdish rebels, have been killed in the conflict.
A large Kurdish community in Turkey and worldwide openly sympathise with PKK rebels and Abdullah Ocalan, who founded the PKK group in 1974 and currently serving a life sentence in Turkey, has a high symbolic value for most Kurds in Turkey and worldwide according to observers.
Turkey routinely launches land and air operations against the group at home, in Iraqi Kurdistan Region, and in Iraq’s disputed territories of Shingal and Makhmour. It also attacks Kurdish forces in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava), accusing them of fostering ties with the PKK.
Ankara launched Operation Kapan 8 on March 13, 2020 covering Agri, Kars, and Igdir provinces in the Kurdish region in southeastern Turkey. The latest phase of the operation involves 1,012 troops.
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