Soldier Wounded in Al-Bab Dies in Ankara

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

Injured in an offensive during Operation Euphrates Shield carried out in Syria against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), contracted private Muhammet Bozarslan (23) has lost his life in Gülhane Military Medicine Academy (GATA) in Ankara.

Bozarslan’s body will be interred today (December 28) in his hometown following a funeral.

Death toll has risen to 39

16 soldiers were killed only in two days last week during offensives by ISIS. Minister of Health Recep Akdağ had declared that 85 soldiers wounded in the offensives were brought to Turkey and their treatment is ongoing.

39 soldiers have lost their lives during Operation Euphrates Shield launched by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and Free Syrian Army (FSA) on August 24, 2016.

Statement by TSK

In its statement, the TSK announced that “158 ISIS targets have been destroyed” and 13 ISIS members killed.

Two FSA members were killed on the 126th day of the operation.

Government: We couldn’t confim the footage yet

In his press meeting yesterday (December 27) Vice Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmuş in response to question by Cumhuriyet daily’s reporter Sinan Tartanoğlu about the allegation that “ISIS burnt two soldiers from Turkey”, said;

“There is no confirmed information as to this video footage, we will share it with public if there is. But thank you, such terror organizations are world’s most inferior mechanisms. They are trying to scare people by releasing videos. They want everybody to be scared of each other. Furthermore, some fellows in media shall mind their steps. Especially social media is not a field in which irresponsible publishing can be carried out. Turkey is literally in war with DEAŞ (ISIS-Islamic State of Iraq and Syria)”. (AS/TK)