3 million Turkish liras lost during Kobane protests in Batman

BATMAN – Doğan News Agency

The protests went on for three days in Batman and reduced many private and public-owned ATMs to ashes. DHA Photo

Around 3 million Turkish Liras were either set alight or stolen from 20 ATMs that were burned in Batman during protests against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’s (ISIL) advance on Kobane.

Insurance companies working in Batman’s city center decided to halt their policy operations due to the protests. A number of insurance companies are reported to have left the city.

Protests, largely in Turkey’s eastern provinces near the Turkey-Syria border, left 37 people dead and many wounded.

The protests lasted for three days in Batman and left private and public owned ATMs unserviceable. Some 350,000 liras were burned in an ATM owned by a private bank and another private bank’s safe filled with checks and bills was stolen. A group of protesters reportedly placed the stolen safe in a car and drove away.  

Governor Azmi Çelik said the incidents were in view of surveillance cameras and damage to local tradesmen would be compensated.

Insurance companies have allegedly decided to suspend operations in Batman and also halt operations in provinces with a high risk of social incidents. While 10 percent of workplaces and 40 percent of cars in Batman are insured, most of the damaged cars cannot be compensated due to a lack of insurance.