Kurds rage as Turkish police flee scene of fatal crash

Police officers crashed into a home in Kurdish town, killing two children, and furious residents are demanding an end to security forces' impunity.
Turkish special forces shoot with machine gun in Sirnak on December 22, 2015 during security operations against Kurdish rebels in the southeastern Turkey cities of Cizre and Silopi. The Turkish army on December 21 engaged in intense clashes with Kurdish militants as the military pressed on with one of its biggest recent domestic operations and controversial curfew orders were expanded to a new area in the Kurdish-dominated southeast. The number of Kurdish rebels killed in a massive Turkish military offensiv
Turkish special forces soldiers shoot machine guns during security operations against Kurdish rebels in the southeastern Turkish cities of Cizre and Silopi, Sirnak, Turkey, Dec. 22, 2015. - BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images
Amberin Zaman headshot (new)
Amberin Zaman
@amberinzaman

Be they soldiers or police, the new spirit embraced by Turkey’s security forces is unabashedly Islamic. Video footage of Turkish soldiers in Syria and police cadets in Istanbul chanting Islamist slogans is increasingly commonplace.

Therefore, news that police officers were under the influence of alcohol when they accidentally drove their armored vehicle into a family's home in the mainly Kurdish southeastern town of Silopi on May 3, killing two children, has had something of a man-bites-dog effect.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.

Videos

See more