Woman killed by soldiers on Turkish-Syrian border due to ‘misunderstanding,’ official says

ŞIRNAK – Doğan News Agency

Saada Darwich’s body was delivered to her relatives on the Syrian side of the border by members of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), following an autopsy. DHA Photo

Turkish officials have said a woman has been shot dead by soldiers, while crossing the Turkish-Syrian border into the southeastern province of Şırnak’s Cizre district.

Şırnak Governor Hasan İpek said the incident took place due to a “misunderstanding,” adding that an investigation had been launched by military prosecutors.

“We still don’t know how the incident happened. The military prosecutions are working on the case. We regret what happened,” İpek said.

The 34-year-old woman, identified as Saada Darwich, was killed as she was trying to cross into Turkey on May 19 with her two children and her father.

“This is really a very sad incident. When Syrian citizens enter Turkey, we treat them as guests. A misunderstanding happened there for the Turkish Republic and the Şırnak Governor’s Office,” İpek added.

Darwich’s body was delivered to her relatives on the Syrian side of the border by members of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), following an autopsy.

Cizre’s young new co-mayor Leyla İmret personally accompanied the slain women’s children to their family members in Turkey.

However, the BDP’s Cizre district co-head, Ahmet Çeter, claimed that the woman was shot despite surrendering to the officials, accusing the authorities of discriminating between Kurdish refugees and other Syrians.

“The woman was seen trying to cross the border together with her two children and her father. Soldiers open fire despite the family putting their hands up. The women didn’t die at the scene, but as she was being rushed to hospital by the villagers,” Çeter told the Turkish edition of the BBC.

“No one touches those who cross into Turkey from the border in the southern province of Hatay. They are discriminating between Arabs and Kurds,” he added.

Meanwhile, a 14-year-old boy was also injured May 19 while crossing the border in the nearby province of Mardin. The boy was rushed to a hospital in the town of Kızıltepe and may reportedly lose sight in his two eyes, BBC Turkish reported.