Southeast clashes heat up, 25 PKK militants killed

ŞIRNAK / KONYA

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Turkish security forces killed 25 outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants during two days of clashes in two southeastern towns, the armed forces stated on Dec. 17, as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan vowed to push ahead with operations in the region.

Eight members of the security forces were wounded and one civilian was also killed, according to the statement.

The towns of Cizre and Silopi, near the Syrian and Iraqi borders in the province of Şırnak, were placed under curfew on Dec. 14 as the authorities launched anti-PKK operations. Around 10,000 police officers and troops are taking part in the operations in the two towns near Turkey’s border with Iraq, led by two brigadier generals.

The Turkish General Staff said in a written statement on Dec. 17 that 24 PKK militants have been killed in Cizre and one has been killed in Silopi over the past two days.

Meanwhile, a 45-year-old civilian woman was killed during the clashes in Cizre while a curfew was imposed by the security forces. Hediye Şen, a mother of four, died during clashes, Doğan News Agency reported.

Despite the curfew, Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Şırnak deputy Faysal Sarıyıldız is currently in Cizre, where gunshots and firing from tanks have been heard since the curfew started on Dec. 16.