13 soldiers were killed and a further seven injured in the Diyarbakir province of Turkey on 14th July 2011, following army clashes with the Kurdish PKK, who are a banned organisation campaigning for self-determination for Turkey’s Kurdish minority.
In a letter of condolence to the Army Chief of Staff, the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, expressed his deep sadness, called for the blessings of God on those who were injured and said that “democracy, law and brotherhood” would overcome the terrorists.
The US State Department said in a statement given through Deputy Spokesman Mark Toner:
“The United States condemns in the strongest terms today’s killings of Turkish soldiers, and we strongly support Turkey in its fight against terror and will continue to work with the Government of Turkey to combat terrorism in all its forms.”
Likewise, the NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, expressed his condolences to the families of those who died.
