HPG Guerrillas Clash With Turkish Army in Hakkari, Turkish Build Up Along Border Continues

(ANF/BEHDİHNAN) Yesterday HPG guerrillas attacked a series of new Turkish military bases in the district of Şemzinan (Şemdinli) in Colemêrg (Hakkari) Province with heavy weapons, according to a statement from the HPG Press Office. The bases are part of a larger wave of base construction now being carried out by the Turkish military along the border with Kandil.

According to the statement “our guerrilla forces engaged the occupying Turkish army in the villages of Derik and Stune in the district of Şemizan as they attempted to build new bases and attacked the new base construction with heavy weapons between 13:00-14:00 hours on April 12th.”

Following the Guerrilla action the Turkish army targeted Goste peak with mortar fire, and “Turkish Cobra attack helicopters repeatedly bombarded regions around Goste and Hacıbeg with heavy fire. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) also continued to operate in the area between 14:00-17:30 hours.”

Military Buildup Along The Border

Military movements around the village of Gırana, located in the same district, and the Mamreş peak on the border with Kandil are continuing. According to the HPG’s statement yesterday alone Turkish military helicopters landed four times in the area, leaving behind some 15 men on each trip.

The same afternoon the HPG reports a tank moving into position along the border with Uludere and shipments of military supplies to the Çete and Serbest peaks, as well as a Heron class UAV reconnaissance flight over the region of Ape Musa in Amed (Diyarbakir) between the hours of 03:00-12:00.

Further UVA flights were reported above the Zap region of Kandil between the hours of 17:00-18:00.