Turkish AK Party official shot dead in PKK assault

Aydin Ahi, who served as deputy chairman in the Van province's Ozalp district, was shot 65 feet (20 meters) from his house after he was kidnapped by two PKK terrorists, Zahir Soganda said.

The party's district chairman Orhan Yildirimcakar said other PKK fighters fired guns while the two terrorists kidnapped Ahi.

AK Party’s previous deputy chairman in the same district, Aydin Musta, was killed last year also 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 Diyarbakir province's Lice district, Orhan Mercan, was shot in front of his house and pronounced dead at a hospital, according to district chairman Ismail Demir.

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 against the state in July 2015.

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