Teenage civilian killed in clash between Turkish security forces and PKK near Iraq border
Comes amid rising tension between government and Kurdistan Workers Party
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Your support makes all the difference.Three civilians, one a teenager, have died in a clash between the Turkish security forces and the PKK in the southern town of Silopi.
As many as 10 people – including a police officer – were injured after a gunfight erupted between members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), designated a terrorist organisation by the Turkish government, and the country’s security forces.
The violence comes amid rising tension between the Turkish government and the PKK, who are agitating for independence from the state.
Silopi mayor Seyfettin Aydemir confirmed to news agency AFP the teenager – who has not been named although images purporting to be him have been widely shared on social media – died of gunshot wounds.
Early on Friday morning Turkish police reportedly moved into the area to fill ditches dug by younger members of the PKK, the Middle Eastern Eye reported.
Social media users shared images on Twitter claiming to show debris on the streets and plumes of smoke rising over the town near the Syrian and Iraq border after the four-hour fire-fight.
A widely shared video from Turkish broadcaster Dogan appeared record the sound of gunfire echoing over the city.
Suriye değil! Türkiye. Yıl 2015 pic.twitter.com/GfH8cyQxSF
— deniz atam ® (@denizatam) August 7, 2015Approximately 1,300 individuals suspected of involvement with the PKK have been arrested by the state month following a suicide bombing on a rally in Suruc killed 132 people in July.
The attack, among the worst experienced in Turkey, saw the government pledge to join the US-led coalition against Isis, but also the resumption of a bombing campaign against PKK positions along the Iraqi and Syrian border.
Additional reporting by Reuters and Associated Press
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