JINHA

COLEMÊRG - Several explosions have left many wounded in the Şemdinli district of Northern Kurdistan (Turkey).

In the district of Şemdinli, in the eastern Hakkari province, clashes intensified in the village of Şapatan (called Altınsu in Turkish). Soldiers attacked with tanks and helicopters and bombed the village with mortars, howitzers and artillery, completing destroying at least 10 homes and setting a fire in the area around the village.

Four villagers from one family were wounded by shrapnel. Because soldiers and police had shut down the state hospital in the town center, the wounded were unable to be taken to the hospital.

When Zeydan Özel, the head of the village, met with the district governor asking for the bombing to end, the district governor said: "Go talk with them [HPG guerrillas]. They can leave this area and blood won't be spilled. Otherwise, we will open fire on the village."

The bombardment stopped for two hours in the afternoon, as police special operations teams attempted to close the trenches that guerrillas had dug to defend the town. Then, an explosion occurred. An armored vehicle was destroyed in the explosion and clashes began again.

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