PKK terror group rigs Quran with bomb, martyrs Turkish soldier

A booby-trapped Quran set up by terrorists in Syria’s Afrin martyred Turkish specialized Sergeant Orhan Sürmen amid the ongoing Operation Olive Branch. The terrorists of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)’s Syrian affiliate, the PYD, who are aware of the Turkish troops’ sensitivity toward the Quran, rigged the holy book with a bomb.

Sergeant Sürmen was martyred when he picked up the Quran off the ground. The bomb-laden Quran exploded, martyring Sergeant Sürmen on Tuesday.

“During the operations carried out in the Afrin region on Mar. 13 within the scope of Operation Olive Branch, a hero was martyred. We pray for God’s mercy to be upon our martyr and express our condolences to his family,” a statement by the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) said.

Surmen was taking part in sweep and clear operations in the village of Darmashkanli in the Shaykh al-Hadid district, west of the city of Afrin.

The sources also said foreign intelligence services trained the terrorists on preparing explosives. It added that in addition to copies of the Quran, terrorists hide explosives in such materials as food and women’s underwear.

The security sources said the terrorists use similar methods to hide explosives in Turkey’s southeastern Diyarbakir, Sirnak, Hakkari, and Mardin provinces, areas known for attacks by the PKK, the YPG/PKK’s parent terror group.

A total of 3,444 terrorists have been neutralized since the start of Operation Olive Branch in Syria's northwestern Afrin region. On Jan. 20, Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch to clear YPG/PKK-Daesh terrorists from Afrin, northwestern Syria.

Afrin has been a major hideout for the PYD/PKK since July 2012, when the Assad regime in Syria left the city to the terror group without putting up a fight.