Explosions, clashes in Turkey's southeast leave dozens dead
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Kurdistan24) – On Sunday, at least three Turkish soldiers were killed in an explosion in Kurdish southeastern town of Nusaybin.
In Nusaybin, near the Syrian border, Kurdistan24 learned from local sources that an explosion in Firat neighborhood carried out by the Kurdish Civilian Protection Units (YPS) killed three Turkish soldiers.
Additionally, two Turkish soldiers were wounded, while nearly 12 Kurdish fighters reportedly lost their lives in separate operations by the Turkish army.
“An explosive placed in a house in the Firat neighborhood of Nusaybin blasted while Turkish security forces were conducting investigations inside the house,” the local sources said.
Likewise, Turkey's leading secular media Hurriyet Daily News reported the same death toll stating the names of the victims.
“Gendarmerie Specialized Sergeant Mehmet Kilinch, Ferhat Aktash and Cengiz Poyraz were seriously wounded in the blast, but later succumbed to their injuries at the Nusaybin State Hospital,” Hurriyet Daily News reported.
In Sirnak, security sources told Kurdistan24 that three other Turkish soldiers were killed in an attack by YPS on a building in Bahchelievler neighborhood early Monday morning.
“The Kurdish YPS exploded a building in Sirnak’s Bahchelievler neighborhood when Turkish special operations units were searching for Kurdish fighters inside the building,” security sources said.
Regarding the Kurdish casualties, Hurriyet Daily News reported that 12 Kurdish fighters of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) were killed in operations in the southeastern provinces of Mardin, Sırnak, and Tunceli, citing the Turkish General Staff.
However, the Netherlands-based Kurdish Firat News Agency (ANF), a close associate to PKK’s military wing HPG, did not report any casualties on the Kurdish side.
On March 14, the Turkish authorities declared a curfew in Mardin’s districts of Nusaybin and Sirnak. As a result, both towns are now entering the 57th day of the continuous curfew.
For nearly two months, both towns witnessed unceasing shelling after clashes between the Turkish army and the Kurdish fighters of PKK, along with their new youth formations YPS and HPG.
Reporting by Hisham Arafat
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany and Ava Homa
Southeastern town of Cizre in Sirnak province, Turkey March 2, 2016. (Photo: Reuters)