Armed struggle in Turkey/Kurdistan-10/8/2015

Hatice Asik

U.S. consulate in Turkey targeted as wave of attacks kills eight
The U.S. consulate in Istanbul came under gunfire on Monday and at least eight people were killed in a wave of separate attacks on Turkish security forces, weeks after Ankara launched a crackdown on Islamic State, Kurdish and far-left militants. The NATO member has been in a heightened state of alert since starting its “synchronized war on terror” last month, which has included air strikes against Islamic State fighters in Syria and Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants in northern Iraq. It has also rounded up hundreds of suspected militants at home.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/10/us-turkey-usa-attack-idUSKCN0QF0DT20150810

Attack on U.S. consulate in Istanbul carried out by two women -governor
Aug 10 The attack on the U.S. consulate in Istanbul was carried out by two women, one of whom has been captured wounded, the Istanbul governor’s office said on Monday. It also confirmed that three attackers and one police officer were killed in a separate attack on an Istanbul police station.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/10/turkey-attacks-governor-idUSL5N10L1PM20150810 ‎

..The day’s death toll also included five security officials, reports said, in separate attacks carried out in the southeastern province of Sirnak. Local media reported four policemen were killed when their armored vehicle drove near a remotely detonated mine. They had been travelling to fill in ditches dug by the PKK in the area. Separately, an attack on a helicopter earlier killed a Turkish gendarme private, according to a statement by the Turkish army’s General Staff.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/turkey/11793656/US-Consulate-in-Istanbul-attacked.html


Armed attack on AK Party office in Istanbul
Unidentified assailants carried out an armed attack on AK Party Istanbul headquarters in Beyoglu district late Saturday, lightly injuring one person, party sources said. The attackers fled scene after the special operations team responded immediately, it was reported. Security forces launched an investigation after the attack and a suspect was detained. Promptly arriving at the premises after a daily visit in southeastern Sanliurfa province, AK Party Chairman and Prime Minister Davutoglu condemned the attack, saying those responsible would be brought to account. AK Party Provincial head Selim Temurci said the injured person, who was a visitor, has been released from hospital after being treated for a gunshot wound on their arm.
http://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/570947–armed-attack-on-ak-party-office-in-istanbul
Turkey to boost security for energy infrastructure as PKK attacks rise
Turkey will deploy thermal cameras and horse-back patrols to heighten security around key oil and gas pipelines as Kurdish militant attacks increase, in a bid to safeguard energy supplies in the import-dependent country, energy officials said. Tighter security around energy infrastructure would be welcomed by Iraqi Kurdistan, whose oil exports to the world are piped through Turkey. A recent attack on the line has cost it more than $250 million by halting oil pumping. Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) said in mid-July it was stepping up attacks over what it said were ceasefire violations by the Turkish state.
Attacks have become almost daily since Ankara began air strikes on PKK camps in northern Iraq on July 24, in what Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has called a “synchronized fight against terror”. Other energy infrastructure has also become a target. The Azeri Shah Deniz pipeline and the Iranian pipeline, which carry a total of 16 billion cubic meters of gas annually, came under attack within the last 10 days.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/06/us-mideast-crisis-turkey-energy-idUSKCN0QB0X020150806