Civilian staff killed in terror attack in northern Syria

ŞANLIURFA

A Turkish employee working for Turkey’s Directorate General for State Hydraulic Works (DSİ) has been killed in an attack launched by the terror group PKK/YPG in northern Syria.

In a mortar attack in the Operation Peace Spring Zone, Cihan Gökkaya, who worked as machine operator, lost his life.

The incident took place in the Rasulayn district of Syria, across the Turkish border.

Gökkaya was recently sent to northern Syria from the western Turkish province of Balıkesir to join a DSİ team.

The Turkish military forces that have been fighting against the terror groups in northern Syria have launched major cross-border operations, Euphrates Shield, Olive Branch and Peace Spring.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU. The YPG is the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.

Meanwhile, 21 truckloads of humanitarian aid have been sent from Turkey to the Operation Pease Spring zone.

Kuwaiti philanthropists and the international aid organizations ATAA and Al Rahme contributed to the humanitarian aid, said the Şanlıurfa Governor’s Office in a statement.

Some 7 million Syrians have fled their country since the start of the civil war, with more than 3.7 million of them presently living in Turkey, Deputy Interior Minister İsmail Çataklı recently said.

“Another 6 million Syrians live in the areas that are not controlled by the Damascus regime, such as 3.7 million people in Idlib and 2.1 million displaced people in the Operation Euphrates Shield, Operation Olive Branch and Operation Peace Spring zones,” Çataklı said in a speech on Dec. 19.