AK Party politician killed by PKK in SE Turkey

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey

A district-level politician from Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party was shot dead by suspected PKK terrorists at work late Monday, a security official said.

Deryan Aktert, party chairman for Dicle district in the southeastern province of Diyarbakir, was gunned down in a bid to intimidate AK Party members, the deputy chairman of the national party, Mehdi Eker, said.

Aktert was shot at around 11 p.m. local time (2000GMT) as he worked at the gas station he ran, according to the security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Last year he was the target of another armed attack and had received several death threats, the source added.

The killing was the second of an AK Party figure by suspected PKK terrorists in as many days. On Sunday night, Aydin Mustu, the party’s deputy chairman for Ozalp in Van province, was killed at home by suspected PKK terrorists.

Both Diyarbakir and Van, which are around 300 kilometers (185 miles) apart, have been hit by numerous PKK attacks since the group -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and EU -- resumed its 30-year armed campaign in July last year.

In an interview with broadcaster CNN Turk, Eker said the killings were a “futile attempt” by the PKK to “suppress and frighten the AK Party”.

He added: “We will continue with our struggle.”

The leaders of the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) condemned the killings and extended their condolences to Aktert’s family.

In a statement, Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag said: “Being a political party member cannot be a reason for a person to be accused and to become a target.”

Since July last year, more than 700 security force members have been martyred and around 8,000 PKK terrorists killed or apprehended.

Reporting by Sema Kaplan : Writing by Emin Avundukluoglu, Diyar Guldogan