Three German mountaineers kidnapped by PKK in eastern Turkey

PKK terrorists seized the climbers, part of a group of 13 mountaineers, as they were ascending the mountain in Agri province, provincial governor Mehmet Cetin told the AA. Â

"The terrorists said they carried out this action because of the German government's recent moves against PKK associations and sympathizers," the Anatolian Agency reported the Governor Mehmet Cetin as saying.

Cetin said the terrorists kidnapped the three late on Tuesday, adding the gendarmerie had launched a wide-scale search and rescue operation, and the other mountaineers were brought to Agri's Dogubayazit town.

The governor said the climbers had arrived in the region three days ago and had established a camp at a height of 3,200 meters (10,500 feet) on Mount Ararat. Five PKK militants approached the camp and kidnapped three people, he said.

The PKK is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey as well as the majority of the international community including the United States and the European Union.

Mount Ararat, situated close to the Iranian and Armenian borders, is the highest mountain in Turkey at 5,137 meters (16,853 feet) and is believed by many to be the final resting place of the Biblical Noah's Ark.

 

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