The statement said 21 year-old Gendarmerie Pvt. Celal Kızılkan, who was serving as part of the Dağpınar Gendarmerie Commando Unit, died when another soldier accidently shot him. The Sarıkamış Military Prosecutor's Office has launched both an administrative and a legal investigation into the incident.
Meanwhile, the soldier's body was taken to Erzurum Research and Training Hospital and then transferred to Mareşal Çakmak Military Hospital for an autopsy. The soldier's body was then sent to his hometown of Konya for burial.
The issue of soldiers killed by friendly fire in the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) has recently gained much attention with the emergence last month of two voice recordings featuring the voice of former Chief of General Staff Gen. Işık Koşaner. In one of the recordings, Koşaner said a soldier was killed by another soldier due to their lack of military training.
“One soldier opens fire after seeing a shadow and the others too as they thought they were being raided. Did we shoot one of our privates in the head? Yes, we did. Do you know that? Yes, you do. We are at fault,” he is heard saying on the recording. Koşaner later confirmed that the voice recordings belonged to him and defended his remarks, saying they amounted to self-criticism.
