Clashes at an army outpost on the Syria-Turkey border left at least eight people dead Tuesday, according to Reuters.
An armed group of 15 men allegedly attempted to move from Syria into Turkey illegally. Clashes then ensued between border guards and the armed men, leaving three border guards wounded. Two out of the three ended up dying hours later.
The "smugglers" were supposedly from the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) or from its affiliate in Syria, the Democratic Union Party (PYD). During the clashes, at least six of the men allegedly from the PKK or PYD were also killed.
Tuesday's clashes represent the most serious outbreak of violence since a ceasefire in fighting between PKK and Ankara was declared last year, according to the report. The clash threat is thus twofold due to the fact that such fighting may jeopardize Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Recep Erdogan's effort to end the PKK's presence and insurgency within Turkey.
