Turkey bids farewell to its martyrs

The police officers who were martyred during an operation against the terrorist organization ISIS, coordinated by the Yalova Police Department, were laid to rest with an official ceremony. Following the ceremony, the bodies of the martyrs were sent to their hometowns.

THE OPERATION BEGAN WITH A HUMANITARIAN APPEAL

The operation targeting an ISIS cell house identified in Yalova began with an appeal by security forces to ensure civilians were not harmed. The terrorists responded with gunfire to the police teams' warnings, which included the phrase, "Think of the children, surrender."

The clashes, which began around 02:00 at night, lasted for a long time because the terrorists used women and children as human shields. It was reported that the operation was conducted meticulously to ensure civilians were not harmed, and that direct contact continued for approximately 8 hours.

The operation was completed after the long-lasting clash. In the clashes, 3 police officers were martyred, while 8 police officers and 1 night watchman were injured. As a result of the intervention by security forces, 6 terrorists were neutralized, and 5 suspects were taken into custody.

CEREMONY AT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR THE MARTYRS

An official ceremony was held at the Yalova Police Department for the martyred police officers İlker Pehlivan, Turgut Külünk, and Yasin Koçyiğit. The ceremony was attended by the martyrs' families, police personnel, and members of the protocol.

Speaking at the ceremony, Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya stated the following:

“We are bidding farewell with mercy to our 3 police officers who were martyred so that our homeland may remain eternal. İlker Pehlivan, Turgut Külünk, and Yasin Koçyiğit performed their duties with the dignity of standing against the oppressor. They were soldiers of the hearth of martyrs who risked death for the sake of the crescent.”

Continuing his speech, Yerlikaya drew attention to the determination of the security forces and used the following words:

“Our heroic police officers stood tall with perseverance and determination against the treacherous terrorists who used women and children as shields for themselves. They destroyed the traps of those who set ambushes for our nation. Every moment you wore your uniforms, our prayers were with you.”