On August 4, 1991, a group of 100 to 150 PKK militants attacked the Samanlñ Gendarmerie Station in à Âemdinli in Hakkâri Province, southeastern Turkey using rocket launchers and other weapons. The assault left 10 soldiers dead, seven others taken hostage, and nine injured. Following a meeting of the Motherland PartyâÂÂs Central Decision and Board, Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yñlmaz announced on the night of August 5, 1991 that a border operation had been launched against PKK elements in Northern Iraq, with support from the Air Force Command.
The forces advanced 19 kilometers into Iraqi territory, and it was also revealed that Mehmet ÃÂcalan, the brother of Abdullah ÃÂcalan, was present at the PKK camps in the region. The Turkish Armed Forces designated this mission âÂÂOperation Broomâ to emphasize its objective of eliminating PKK positions and seizing their camps and munitionsâÂÂa term that was publicly associated with the idea of cleansing the area.