Turkey vows to respond to any kind of terrorist threat

Turkey said on Saturday that it will respond to any kind of terror threat coming from the soil of Syria or any other country.

Turkey will continue to take all necessary measures to protect its national security and its borders, said presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin, referring to recent harassment fire on Turkish forces from the PKK/PYD-held area of Afrin, in northwestern Syria.

Kalin's comments follow Turkey's deployment of military troops to the border near Afrin last week.

"Any threat that may come from Syria or another country towards Turkey - this could be from Daesh, the [PKK] PYD/YPG, whatever terrorist organisation it is from - Turkey responds immediately with all reprisals," he said.

Ankara considers the PYD/YPG to be the Syrian offshoot of the PKK, which is recognised as a terrorist organisation in Turkey, the US and EU.

AK Party officials shot dead in "PKK assault"

A local official of the Turkey's governing Justice and Development (AK) Party was kidnapped and shot dead on Saturday, party officials said.

Aydin Ahi, who served as deputy chairman in Ozalp district of Van province, was shot 65 feet from his house after he was kidnapped by two PKK terrorists, the party's provincial chairman Zahir Soganda said.

AK Party's previous deputy chairman in the same district, Aydin Musta, was killed in 2016 in an armed assault by the PKK in front of his house.

Authorities have launched operations to capture the perpetrators.

Ahi's death comes hours after the party's deputy chairman in Lice district of Diyarbakir province, Orhan Mercan, was shot in front of his house and pronounced dead at a hospital.

Diyarbakir and Van, which are around 300 km apart, have been hit by numerous PKK attacks since the designated terrorist group resumed its 30-year armed campaign against the state in July 2015.

More than 1,200 victims, including security personnel and civilians, have since lost their lives in PKK attacks.