VIDEO: One killed as PKK's youth wing clashes with Istanbul police

ISTANBUL – Doğan News Agency

DHA Photos

One person has been killed and four have been taken into custody in clashes between police and suspected members of the outlawed Revolutionary Patriotic Youth Movement (YDG-H) in Istanbul’s Esenler district.

A group of 15 to 20 suspects reportedly associated with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party’s (PKK) urban youth wing, the YDG-H, initiated an illegal demonstration in Esenler’s Tuna neighborhood at around 11 p.m. on Aug. 18, resulting in a clash with police.

Fire from police prompted the group to disperse down side streets. 

Special operations and anti-terror police teams were dispatched to join a helicopter-led operation, during which a 17-year-old who was alleged to be part of the YDG-H was killed and four others were taken into custody. 

The identity of the dead adolescent was not released.

The militants were allegedly carrying four masks, 10 petrol bombs, one box of fireworks with a launch platform and explosive material – all of which were seized by the police. 

Meanwhile, a bomb squad defused an unexploded bomb in the area which was discovered by the police. 

After undergoing a medical examination, the four detainees were brought to the Istanbul Police Headquarters in the city’s Fatih.