Turkish soldiers, villagers scuffle in Hakkari over land on Iraqi border

HAKKARİ – Doğan News Agency

The villagers then accused the soldiers of surrounding their village to prevent them from travelling to their lands. DHA photo

Turkish soldiers and villagers have skirmished in a rural area of the eastern province of Hakkari, with locals accusing authorities of preventing them from heading to their land along Turkey’s border with Iraq.

Turkish soldiers reportedly attempted to halt villagers as they were returning from their lands in the Üzümlü village near the border in Çukurca district, but the residents refused, leading to a scuffle in which security forces fired into the air.

The villagers then accused the soldiers of surrounding their village to prevent them from travelling to their lands.

A group of villagers started to march to the Çukurca district center but stopped their protests following negotiations with gendarmerie forces.