2008 Aktütün attack
The 2008 Aktütün attack was a clash between the PKK (Kurdistan Wokers' Party) and the Turkish Armed Forces on 3 October 2008 at the Aktütün Police Station in the Şemdinli district of Hakkari. The conflict took place at the 13th Gendarmerie Border Company Command, which is 4 kilometers from the Iraqi border and 40 kilometers from the Iranian border, this place is known by the locals as the Aktütün Police Station.[4] 15 Turkish soldiers died when 200 to 400 PKK members opened fire on Şemdinli Aktütün Police Station with heavy weapons from Northern Iraq. In the attack, in which 20 soldiers were injured, two of them seriously, 23 PKK members were also killed. During the conflict, two soldiers were repoted missing and are thought to be dead.[5][6][7]
2008 Aktütün attack | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() Video screenshot of Aktütün in 2008 | |||||
| |||||
Belligerents | |||||
![]() |
![]() | ||||
Units involved | |||||
62[1] | 200-400[2][3] | ||||
Casualties and losses | |||||
17 dead, 20 injured | 23 dead | ||||
![]() ![]() Location within Turkey |
Conflict
The clash started around 14:00 when PKK members surrounded the station from three different hill areas and fired on the station, and continued until midnight.[8] Various weapons, including anti-aircraft guns and different types of missiles were used by the PKK members in the attack.[8] This attack was recorded by PKK members with three different cameras and later broadcast on various websites used by the organization for propaganda purposes.[9][10][11][12] Before the attack, there are sections showing how the PKK members crossed the Turkish border to the region, the attack on the police station, and even how they crossed the Turkish border.[9] In the evening hours, PKK members went closer to the police station and recorded different images there, and tried to infiltrate the police station with the aim of seizing the weapons and ammunition of the Turkish security forces in the police station. However, as a result of the intense fire and resistance of the Turkish security forces at the police station, the PKK members had to retreat. During the conflict, which lasted for approximately 9 hours, the Turkish security forces at the police station did not receive any assistance.[13]
Reactions and media
On 8 October 2008, Taraf newspaper carried a news report claiming that the raid was reported sixteen days in advance of the actual conflict and that the Turkish Armed Forces did not take the necessary precautions.[14][15][16] In the news, which also included satellite images, it was claimed that the Internal Security Operation status reports and instant intelligence information transmitted by unmanned aerial vehicles informed the General Staff of the Aktütün raid a month ago. Thereupon, the Military Court of General Staff imposed a broadcast ban on Taraf's news.[17][18] Chief of General Staff İlker Başbuğ gave a very harsh statement by holding a press conference. "I urge everyone to be careful and be in the right place," he said in a statement to the press.[19]
In the same evening, one of the three photographs revealed by the coordinates of the photographs, published in the main news bulletin of Kanal 1 and Star TV and by writing the coordinates of the photographs in the satellite observation program Google Earth, showed Aktütün and Bayraktepe.[20] The party stood by its claims and stated that the region between 37 and 02-23 north parallel and 44-12-44 east meridians points to a point a little more than 1 kilometer away from Aktütün, and this can be understood when checked in Google Earth program. 1 denied the allegations.[20]
A lawsuit was filed against Adnan Demir, the Editor-in-Chief of the Taraf newspaper, who was accused of "disclosure of prohibited information" belonging to the General Staff, with a demand for imprisonment between 3 and 5 years. Adnan Demir was acquitted of the case.[21][22]
References
- Şafak, Yeni (2018-10-03). "Aktütün gazisi Özalp: Bayraktepe'yi teslim etmedik". Yeni Şafak (in Turkish). Retrieved 2022-03-06.
- Şafak, Yeni (2018-10-03). "Hain saldırının üzerinden tam 10 yıl geçti". Yeni Şafak (in Turkish). Retrieved 2022-03-06.
- "Gazetelerde bugün". www.cumhuriyet.com.tr (in Turkish). Retrieved 2022-03-06.
- Şafak, Yeni (2018-10-03). "It's been 10 years since the treacherous attack". Yeni Şafak (in Turkish). Retrieved 2022-03-06.
- "NTV HABER - Haberler, Son Dakika Haberleri". www.ntv.com.tr. Retrieved 2022-03-06.
- "Aktütün Police Station hit for the 5th time". 2008-12-07. Archived from the original on 7 December 2008. Retrieved 2022-03-06.
- "PKK attacked the police station: 15 martyrs". Radikal (in Turkish). Retrieved 2022-03-06.
- DİYARBAKIR, (DHA), Özgür CEBE/. "Hain saldırının detayları". www.hurriyet.com.tr (in Turkish). Retrieved 2022-03-06.
- "Türkiye'yi şok eden Aktütün gerçeği". takvim.com.tr (in Turkish). Retrieved 2022-03-06.
- "17 askerin şehit düştüğü aktütün karakolundan yeni ayrıntılar". Memurlar.Net (in Turkish). Retrieved 2022-03-06.
- PKK'LI TERÖRİSTLER AKTÜTÜN KARAKOLUNA SALDIRDI, retrieved 2022-03-06
- AKTÜTÜN KARAKOLUNA PKK TARAFINDAN YAPILAN HAİN BASKIN-BÖLÜM 2, retrieved 2022-03-06
- aktütün.mp4, retrieved 2022-03-06
- "Taraf Gazetesi | Aktütün'ü itiraf edin demiştik... Biz açıklıyoruz". web.archive.org. 2010-01-01. Retrieved 2022-03-06.
- "Taraf Gazetesi | Artık itiraf edin bu "ikinci Dağlıca"". web.archive.org. 2009-06-20. Retrieved 2022-03-06.
- "Taraf'a yasak geldi - GÜNDEM - HABERTÜRK - Türkiye'nin En Büyük İnternet Gazetesi". 2008-10-18. Archived from the original on 18 October 2008. Retrieved 2022-03-06.
- "Son Dakika". Milliyet (in Turkish). Retrieved 2022-03-06.
- A.A. "Broadcast bans". www.hurriyet.com.tr (in Turkish). Retrieved 2022-03-06.
- "Pasha's Prime Minister".
- "Aktütün Karakolu saldırısı ve Kanal 1 Haber'in kapatılması". www.sozcu.com.tr (in Turkish). Retrieved 2022-03-06.
- "Taraf'a Aktütün davası: 5 yıl hapis istemi - CNN TÜRK". 2014-07-07. Archived from the original on 7 July 2014. Retrieved 2022-03-06.
- Haber7. "Gazeteci Adnan Demir beraat etti". Haber7 (in Turkish). Retrieved 2022-03-06.