Kurdish YPS kills 17 Turkish soldiers

Kurdish Civilian Protection Units (YPS) announced they killed nearly 17 Turkish security elements in Turkey’s southeastern predominant Kurdish towns of Nusaybin and Sirnak.

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Kurdistan24) – On Thursday, the Kurdish Civilian Protection Units (YPS) announced that they killed nearly 17 Turkish security elements in Turkey’s southeastern Kurdish towns of Nusaybin and Sirnak.

Kurdistan24 news team in Diyarbakir reported that clashes and shellings have been continuous in Nusaybin and Sirnak for more than a week. Dozens were killed from both sides and several neighborhoods were destroyed.

The shelling by the Turkish forces destroyed dozens of houses in Sirnak. Local security sources also told Kurdistan24 that heavy clashes erupted in Bahcelievler neighborhood between the Turkish security forces and the Kurdish YPS. 

“YPS said they killed nearly 14 Turkish forces last week in Cumhuriyet and Ismet Pasha neighborhoods and three YPS fighters lost their lives,” sources said.

Netherlands-based Kurdish Firat News Agency (ANF), a close associate to the military wing of PKK, reported on Thursday that YPS units targeted a group of Turkish special operations forces in Cumhuriyet neighborhood, leaving 8 Turkish members of special operations dead.

ANF said that YPS units hit two armored vehicles trying to enter Cumhuriyet and Ismet Pasha neighborhoods, leaving both drivers dead.

“Four special operations gendarmes were killed in another action carried out by YPS units with rockets in İsmet Paşa neighborhood,” ANF reported.

In Nusaybin, YPS units destroyed an armored vehicle that tried to enter Martyr Gelhat neighborhood on Monday.

“YPS killed 3 soldiers and lost 2 of their fighters,” security sources said.

The death and injury toll is rising as clashes and shelling are ongoing in both Sirnak and Nusaybin.

The Kurdish Civilian Protection Units (known as YPS) are armed youth formations of the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) established in Nusaybin in late December to defend their neighborhoods and repel the attacks by the Turkish state forces.

 

Reporting by Hisham Arafat

Editing by Ava Homa