Four Syrian Kurds killed in Turkey’s southeast
Turkish security forces shot four people on two motorcycles in Turkey’s southeastern town of Viranşehir in the area of Sanliurfa province near the Syrian border.
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Kurdistan24) – On Friday, Turkish security forces shot four people on two motorcycles in Turkey’s southeastern town of Viranşehir in the area of Sanliurfa province near the Syrian border.
A Kurdistan24 news team in Diyarbakir learned from civilian sources in Sanliurfa that Turkish security forces clashed with four people in Viranşehir after they ignored orders to stop at a checkpoint.
“The motorcyclists disregarded the security forces’ warnings to stop at a checkpoint, left their motorcycles and tried to flee on foot, but the forces shot three of them dead, and injured one,” civilian sources said.
The sources added that the security transferred the injured victim to the hospital, but he died on the way.
On the reasons behind the shooting and the motorcyclist’s identities, neither the Turkish authorities nor the Kurdish military sources could be reached for comment due to the deteriorating security situation in the country’s southeast.
However, the Turkish pro-government conservative daily newspaper Yeni Safak said on Saturday that the killed motorcyclists were from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) with Syrian origins, without citing any official source.
“Security forces [were] acting on intelligence which warned that ‘terrorists’ of Syrian origin would simultaneously strike the district governor’s office and police station in Viranşehir,” said Yeni Safak using the term ‘terrorists’ to refer to the motorcyclists.
Regarding the reasons for the clashes, Yeni Safak claimed that the motorcyclists were going to bomb a governmental headquarter.
“Police found 20 kg of TNT, small explosives, bomb set-ups, and a bomb-laden pressure cooker hidden on the motorbikes,” Yeni Safak reported.
“Two firearms were also discovered on the scene. Police believe the guns would have been used in the previously-planned terror attacks,” the report added.
Up to the present moment, no official statement has been released regarding the incident.
Reporting by Hisham Arafat
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany