One killed as Turkish soldiers open fire on vehicle in forbidden zone on Syrian border

KİLİS – Doğan News Agency

A 26-year-old man was killed in Turkey’s southeastern province of Kilis on March 17 after soldiers opened fire when a vehicle entered a first degree forbidden military zone on the border with Syria.

Soldiers on duty at a watchtower near the Syrian border in the village of İnanlı warned the vehicle, which was carrying five people, to stop when they saw it was proceeding in a forbidden zone. The soldiers then opened fire, suspecting that the individuals in the car might be smugglers as they ignored the warning and kept going.

Ahmet Öksüzoğlu, who was travelling in the back seat, was shot by a bullet fired by one of the soldiers, whose name has not been released.

Öksüzoğlu, a father of one, was heavily wounded and died after being taken to Kilis State Hopital. His body has since been sent to a forensics institute in the nearby province of Gaziantep for an autopsy.

The relatives of Öksüzoğlu rushed to the border after hearing of his death, saying he was traveling to work on their cropland in the region.

Gendarmerie forces were dispatched to the site to ensure security.

An investigation has been launched by the military prosecutor’s office in Gaziantep, as officials examined the scene and the car. The soldier who shot Öksüzoğlu has been detained and other soldiers are being questioned.