May 24, 1993 PKK ambush

May 24, 1993 PKK ambush
Part of Kurdish–Turkish conflict
Locations of Elazığ and Bingöl Turkey
Date May 24, 1993 Location Elazığ-Bingöl highway Result Ambush successful; end of first cease-fire
Belligerents
Turkey	Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)
Commanders and leaders
	Şemdin Sakık
Strength
55 unarmed recruits[1][2]	150 militants[3]
Casualties and losses
33 recruits and 5 civilians killed[1] 22 recruits captured[2]	None[1]

The May 24, 1993 PKK ambush on Turkish soldiers was carried out against unarmed Turkish military recruits on the Elazığ-Bingöl highway, killing 33 off-duty Turkish soldiers and 5 civilians and breaking the first ever Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) cease-fire with the Turkish government.^[1][4] The attack had been ordered by Şemdin Sakık^[5] and according to Abdullah Öcalan's testimony in 1999, it was carried out by a regional PKK commander.^[6]

Background

In late 1991, Turkish President Turgut Özal attempted to establish dialogue with the PKK. He had said the idea of a federation could be discussed and a Kurdish language TV channel could be opened.^[7] He also passed a bill, partially unbanning the use of the Kurdish language.^[8] In response the PKK declared a cease-fire on March 20, 1993. However, after Turgut Özal's death on April 17, 1993, the government's pace in meeting the PKK's political demands were largely halted^[7][9] and on May 19, when about a dozen rebels operating Şemdin Sakık were killed in an attack by the military in the town of Kulp, he sent a letter to Abdullah Öcalan claiming that the rebels were losing respect due to the cease-fire. Öcalan responded by saying that they were allowed to defend themselves.^[10]

The attack

Sakık decided to respond with a show of force and ordered PKK units in Diyarbakır to close down all main highways in the province and nearby on May 24. One of these roads was the Elazığ-Bingöl highway^[10] which was attacked by over 150 PKK militants,^[3] coming from the South-Eastern mountains.^[1] The fighters were ordered to kill any state employees they found.^[10] The PKK stopped several buses that were transferring unarmed Turkish soldiers in civilian clothing and then dragged^[3] 33 soldiers and 5 civilians^[1] (including four teachers)^[10] from their vehicles and executed them.^[3] Some 22 soldiers were briefly captured by the PKK, before being freed by Turkish rescue operations.^[2] The military was criticized for the fact that the soldiers were unarmed and there were no units protecting them.^[7]

Aftermath

The attack broke the PKK's cease-fire with the Turkish government^[7] and in response to this, the Turkish military intensified its anti-insurgency operations against the PKK during the following months.^[1] A total of 92 Turkish security forces, 203 Kurdish rebels and 29 civilians were killed during anti-insurgency operations in May and June, an additional 120 Kurds were arrested during these operations.^[2]

Kucuk Zeki, the PKK's commander in Muş at the time, described the attack as a turning point in the conflict, as the state stepped up its operations against the PKK and "the war got much worse".^[10]

References