Seven Turkish soldiers were killed and six others injured in the attack early on Monday morning. Terrorist operatives ambushed a military vehicle carrying soldiers exchanging guard duty shortly after midnight. One soldier died at the scene and six others were pronounced dead after being rushed to area hospitals. A large crowd gathered in İstanbul to bid farewell to one of the slain soldiers, Erhan Terletme, chanting, “Martyrs do not die, the country will not be divided.” Terletme's mother and father were visibly distraught during the service.
The soldier’s body was taken to İstanbul’s Selimiye Mosque, where the funeral ceremony was conducted.
The funeral for another fallen soldier, Ümit Akbulut, took place in the eastern province of Malatya on Sunday. Akbulut’s family home filled with relatives come to pay their last respects, while the funeral company included many military officers, political party representatives and others. Akbulut’s parents and some soldiers in attendance grew emotional during the funeral proceedings in the Kuluncak district.
Relatives of slain soldier Serhat Arslan, who are natives of the southeastern province of Mardin, mourned his passing in Kurdish in the western province of İzmir. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Arslan’s father had said: “A game has been played for 30 years. We want this dirty war to end. Every problem has a solution -- everybody knows that, but some do not want it to end. These dead children are our children, Turkey’s children.”
İsmail Kartal, another soldier, was laid to rest in a funeral in the eastern province of Erzincan yesterday. Another soldier, Kerem Oğuz Erbay, was also buried yesterday following a funeral service in İzmir.
