One soldier killed in clashes with PKK in Turkey’s southeast

DİYARBAKIR – Doğan News Agency

DHA photo

A soldier has succumbed to his wounds following clashes with alleged members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) that left two soldiers dead and another 10 wounded in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır on Jan. 10. 

A specialized sergeant, whose identity has not been disclosed, succumbed to his wounds at Diyarbakır Military Hospital after being critically injured in clashes with the PKK on Jan. 10.

Yıkıkkaya Sokak near the Kurşunlu Mosque in Diyarbakır’s Sur district witnessed clashes between security authorities and suspected members of the PKK at 2 p.m. on Jan. 10.

One police officer and a specialized sergeant were killed after militants detonated an improvised explosive device and opened fire while another 10 security officials were hospitalized. 

According to reports, one of the wounded officers succumbed to his wounds, raising the death toll to three, while nine officers are still receiving treatment.

Six neighborhoods of Sur have been under a military-imposed curfew since Dec. 2, 2015, as security forces conduct operations to expel PKK militants from urban regions. 

Meanwhile, the Turkish Human Rights Foundation (TİHV) said late Jan. 9 that 32 children, 29 women and 24 elderly people were among civilians killed in districts where authorities have imposed 24-hour curfews.