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PKK’s infiltration efforts in Dağlıca lasted 3 days, report
The eight soldiers were released 14 days after their capture by the PKK, who handed them over to members of Parliament from the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP), but upon their return to Turkey they were arrested by a military court on various charges, including disobeying orders and crossing the Iraqi border without proper documentation. One of the young men, Ramazan Yüce, is also being accused of “aiding and abetting” the PKK as an additional charge.
The statement of Lt. Col. Onur Dirik, whose battalion, stationed in Hakkari’s mountainous Dağlıca district, was attacked by PKK terrorists on Oct. 21, revealed new information about the attack. The court documents - which amount to a 1,000-page case report regarding the eight soldiers abducted by the PKK during the attack. -- include Lt. Col. Dirlik’s statement, in which he noted that the terrorist organization’s efforts to stage an ambush on the battalion lasted three days. Dirlik also accused Pvt. Yüce, one of the eight captured who is currently facing life in prison, of treason.
Artillery Lt. Col. Dirik submitted his report in regard to the attack to the Administrative Verification Committee. The report says they discovered three to four days prior to the attack that terrorists were crossing the border with nine or 10 mules and that his artillery battalion pounded the region where the terrorists had been seen. They also found that new and bigger groups of PKK militants were approaching the region, Dirik adds, claiming that they stepped up security measures, having concluded that the terrorist organization was preparing for a larger attack.
According to the statement of the lieutenant colonel, the PKK tried hard to infiltrate the main base of the battalion and two outposts for three days between Oct. 21 and 23. “Their infiltration efforts in Keri Tepe couldn’t be contained despite all our counter efforts, and we suffered casualties.”
Lieutenant colonel accuses Pvt. Yüce
In his statement Dirik also writes his opinion of the abducted soldiers. Dirik argues that Pvt. Yüce from Mardin joined the PKK willingly and thus accuses him of betraying his country and military unit. “When we analyzed his attitude during the PKK attack, we were able to see that he did this deliberately and surrendered to terrorists of his own will with his rifle still in his hands. Moreover, he also called on his fellow soldiers to surrender to the PKK. Yüce’s call for surrender demoralized the entire unit. Another proof we can present with regard to his intent is some of the words he said to his friends before the attack. He is reported by his friends to have said, ‘The PKK is better than us,’ ‘My place is not here, it’s the mountains,’ and ‘I love them very much.’ Similarly, he cursed four soldiers discharged two days before the attack, saying, ‘I hope you can’t make it home and get blown up!’”
As for the rest of the six soldiers who surrendered to the terrorist organization, Dirik doesn’t hold negative opinions. He notes that they must have been negatively influenced by Yüce.
Meanwhile, the investigation into the hostage incident revealed that 20 minutes before the terrorists attacked the Turkish troops in Dağlıca, they established contact with a village guard -- a local armed by the state to aid troops against the PKK. The Turkish security forces listened to the conversation, which Yüce translated. Lt. Col. Dirik said Pvt. Yüce purposefully mistranslated the dialogue on the radio.
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