VIDEO: Turkish PM sheds tears for soldier killed by ISIL

ANKARA

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Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu struggled to control his emotions at a party event in Ankara on Aug. 14, when he shed tears for a soldier recently killed by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants.

Davutoğlu addressed his party members at the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) event to mark the 14th anniversary of its foundation in Ankara on Aug. 14. His voice became more sombre when he began to speak about Turkish soldiers who were killed in a recent wave of violence targeting security personnel across the country.




“I can’t forget how the respected wife of that brave person, Yalçın Nane, welcomed us to their home without shedding any tears and telling us that - God willing - her baby will also serve the country after, God willing, he or she is born,” the prime minister said.

Nane, a non-commissioned military officer, was killed during the Turkish army’s first gunfight with ISIL on the border in the southeastern province of Kilis on July 23. Following the killing, Turkish security forces increased operations, including air strikes in Syria and Iraq, as well as domestic raids targeting ISIL, the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and other outlawed groups.

“We don’t get tired even when we work day and night. But when we hear the voice of a martyred soldier’s mother or father on the phone, then everything stops at that moment,” Davutoğlu added, with tears in his eyes.

In the past 38 days, 34 security personnel and 12 civilians have been killed by PKK militants, while 132 others have been injured. Turkish air strikes have killed scores of PKK militants in northern Iraq, according to the army, while 39 militants have been killed in operations inside Turkey.