Violence kills 4 Kurds, 8 Turkish soldiers

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Kurdistan24) – On Friday, at least eight Turkish soldiers and four Kurdish fighters lost their lives in separate attacks in Kurdistan of Turkey (Bakur).

Kurdistan24 office in Diyarbakir learned from Kurdish and Turkish security sources that four Turkish soldiers were killed in the village of Cimenli in southeastern Kurdish province of Hakkari (known in Kurdish as Colemêrg).

Explosives were remotely detonated when an armed military vehicle carrying Turkish soldiers passed through the main road of Cimenli, locals told Kurdistan24.

In the province of Mardin, two Turkish soldiers were wounded in the clashes with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighters on Thursday and were transported to a military hospital in Mardin. They succumbed to their wounds on Friday.

“Two Turkish soldiers were wounded in an attack in Mardin’s district of Derik by fighters of the PKK military wing known as HPG,” said Shamdin, a Kurdish activist based in Mardin.  

Additionally, in the eastern province of Bingol (known as Çewlîg in Kurdish), two Turkish soldiers and four PKK fighters lost their lives, and two PKK fighters were detained.

According to Turkish media, Hurriyet Daily News, an armed clash erupted between security forces and PKK fighters on Thursday in a rural area of Bingol.

“One specialized sergeant immediately died in the scene while the other was taken to Bingol State Hospital where he died,” Hurriyet Daily News reported on Friday.

On the Kurdish side, Kurdistan24 learned from security sources that four PKK fighters lost their lives and two others were arrested in Bingol.

Bakur, the Kurdish south and southeast of Turkey, has been gripped by violence since a ceasefire between the PKK and the Turkish government collapsed last July, with security forces shelling the densely populated urban areas.

Editing by Ava Homa