Operation Murat

Operation Murat
Part of Kurdish–Turkish conflict
Location of Hakkâri within Turkey
Date April–May 1998[1] Location South-Eastern Turkey Result Security Forces fail to capture Murat Karayılan
Belligerents
Turkey	PKK
Commanders and leaders
24 Generals[1]	Murat Karayılan
Strength
40,000[1]	450[1]
Casualties and losses
27 killed 1 aircraft downed	12 killed 4+ captured

Operation Murat, which was launched on 23 April 1998,^[2] by the Turkish Army against the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the Turkey's South-Eastern Hakkâri Province. It is said to have been the largest Turkish military operation in the entire Kurdish–Turkish conflict or even the largest Turkish military operation since the foundation of the Republic of Turkey.^[1]

The Turkish Army used 40,000 troops to pursue 450 Kurdish guerillas led by Murat Karayılan.^[1] Turkish forces however failed to kill or capture Karayılan after they cornered him in Kulp, Diyarbakir, in May.^[3]

During the first three days of the operation, there were clashes in Diyarbakir, Bingöl, Muş and Bitlis. Within Diyarbakir province, the clashes were concentrated around Kulp, Lice and Hani and in Bingöl Province, they were centered around Genç. The military declared they killed 58 militants, captured 3 militants and lost 3 security forces during the first three days. Militants downed a military plane in Kulp, whereafter an Armenian businessman was detained.^[4]

Pro-PKK sources have alleged that former PKK military commander Şemdin Sakık aided Turkish forces during the operation, after he was captured by Turkish forces shortly after leaving the PKK to join forces with the Kurdistan Democratic Party.^[5]

See also

• October 2007 clashes in Hakkâri

References

v t e Kurdish–Turkish conflict Timeline Turkey State Government National Security Council Military Army Air Force Navy Gendarmerie Coast Guard Police MİT Village Guards Deep State Counter-Guerrilla Grey Wolves Turkish Revenge Brigade Susurluk scandal Ergenekon JİTEM Hizbullah Kurdish groups Insurgent KCK PKK History TAK KDP/N PŞK PJAK KKP PIK HİK KH (Hüda-Par) Allies DHKP/C TKP/ML & TİKKO DHP TDP ASALA (until late 1980s) Political HEP (1990–1993) DEP (1993–1994) HADEP (1994–2003) DEHAP (1997–2005) DTH (2005) DTP (2005–2009) BDP (2008–present) Hüda-Par (2012-present) The conflict 1974–1984 Political violence in Turkey, 1970s Maraş Massacre 1980 Turkish coup d'état 1984–1999 15 August 1984 PKK attacks Yeşilova incident Battle of Şırnak 1992 Taşdelen attack Battle of Kulp Operation Northern Iraq May 24, 1993 PKK ambush Başbağlar massacre Winter Campaign of 1994-1995 Operation Steel Operation Hawk Siege of Varto Sazak assault Operation Hammer Operation Dawn Operation Murat 1999 Istanbul bombings 1999–2004 2000 Turkish Hezbollah crackdown 2004–2012 2005 Kuşadası minibus bombing 2007 Ankara bombing October 2007 clashes in Hakkâri 3 January 2008 Diyarbakır bombing 2008 Turkish incursion into northern Iraq 2008 Istanbul bombings October 2008 Aktütün attack Reşadiye shooting İskenderun attack 2010 Hakkâri bus attack 2010 Istanbul bomb blast August 2011 Turkey-Iraq cross-border raids 2011 Hakkâri attack Uludere airstrike June-August 2012 Hakkari clashes 2012 Gaziantep bombing September 2012 Beytüşşebap attack 2013 United States embassy bombing in Ankara 2013– Solution process Protests Serhildan 1990 1991 1992 1999 2001 2005 2006 2008 2009 2011–2012 Kurdish leaders Insurgent Abdullah Öcalan Cemil Bayık Murat Karayılan Bahoz Erdal Mustafa Karasu Duran Kalkan Riza Altun Ali Haydar Kaytan Haji Ahmadi Murat Karasac Osman Öcalan Mahsum Korkmaz Şemdin Sakık Nizamettin Taş Kani Yılmaz Hüseyin Yıldırım Haki Karer Halil Atac Mazlum Doğan Kemal Pir Mehmet Baran Muhammad Mustafa Hüseyin Velioğlu Fidan Güngör Seyda Mele Abdullah Celal Başkale Political Ahmet Fehmi Işıklar Yaşar Kaya Leyla Zana Hatip Dicle Orhan Doğan Ahmet Türk Zübeyir Aydar Selim Sadak Murat Bozlak Tuncer Bakırhan Aysel Tuğluk Hüseyin Kalkan Selahattin Demirtaş Nurettin Demirtaş Orhan Miroğlu Ayla Akat Ata Gültan Kışanak Pervin Buldan Emine Ayna Sebahat Tuncel Kemal Burkay Sevahir Bayındır Orhan Miroğlu Fatma Kurtulan Osman Baydemir Nursel Aydoğan Sırrı Süreyya Önder İsa Altsoy Turkish leaders Military Kenan Evren Tahsin Şahinkaya Bülend Ulusu Nurettin Ersin Necdet Üruğ Necip Torumtay Eşref Bitlis Doğan Güreş İsmail Hakkı Karadayı Hüseyin Kıvrıkoğlu Hilmi Özkök İbrahim Fırtına Faruk Cömert Yaşar Büyükanıt Aydoğan Babaoğlu İlker Başbuğ Işık Koşaner Erdal Ceylanoğlu Necdet Özel Hayri Kıvrıkoğlu Political Turgut Özal Süleyman Demirel Bülent Ecevit Ali Bozer Yıldırım Akbulut Mesut Yılmaz Erdal İnönü Tansu Çiller Mesut Yılmaz Necmettin Erbakan Ahmet Necdet Sezer Abdullah Gül Recep Tayyip Erdoğan See also Media outlets MED TV (1990–2004) Roj TV (2004–present) TRT 6 (2009–present) Other Iraqi–Kurdish conflict Iranian–Kurdish conflict Kurdish rebellions Kurdish refugees Kurdish villages depopulated by Turkey Iraq Operations