Death Toll Rises to 35 in Kobane Protests

* Photo credit: Uğur Ulu / AA

Unrest in Turkey’s Kurdish-populated southeastern cities within Kobane protests left 35 people dead. 

Bingöl Province Police Atalay Ürker was targeted in the city center by a group of armed individuals on a moving car. While Ürker survived the attack, Vice Commissioner Atıf Şahin and guard policeman commissioner Hüseyin Hatipolu lost their lives. 

The incident took place night around 9:30pm local time, also leaving Uğur Atlı wounded. 

Transferred to a hospital in Ankara by an ambulance plane, Atalay Ürker’s health situation is stable. 

4 killed in Genç district

While the assailants ran away, police took notice on the city entrance/exit locations. 

Later on, another armed clash broke out in Genç district, Bingöl, where gendarmerie special-ops forces opened fire at a car not yielding to halt order. 4 people in the car were killed, 2 were injured and detained. 

These individuals were claimed to have orchestrated the plot in Bingöl as police found weapons and ammunition. 

Children died in Antep

On the other hand, the incidents related to Kobane protests in Antep left 4 people dead.

According to Fırat News Agency (ANF), a group of individuals carrying swords, machetes, bats, guns and shotguns assaulted Kobane protestors in various neighborhoods around 9:00pm local time. 

Süleyman Balcı (15), Sevgi Alıcı (16), Ömer Uçeker (27) and unidentified individual died after the incident.

In Şahinbey and Şehitkamil districts, buildings of Democratic Regions Party (DBP) were set on fire. 

Gendarmerie fire in Mardin

The funerals of Bilal Gezer (29) and Sinan Toprak (18) who died in Dargeçit district on Tuesday’s protests were held in town’s cemetery. A commemoration march was allegedly intervened by gendarmerie forces leaving 7 injured. Abdülkerim Seyhan (27), one of the injured mourners, lost his life.  (AS/BM)

* Click here to read the article in Turkish.