ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A civilian was killed in an anti-terror operation in Sulaimani province after being caught in the crossfire between security forces and the suspects, the city’s internal security forces (Asayish) said on Sunday.
Sulaimani’s Asayish announced the arrest of two suspects accused of terrorism who subsequently tried to escape custody to no avail. However, a citizen was killed during the clash that ensued.
The victim was later identified as 22-year-old Ahmed Shawkat, who succumbed to his injuries after being shot by two bullets during the confrontations, according to Rudaw ground reporter Peshawa Bakhtyar.
"They called me and said your nephew is injured and we took him to the hospital. I went and saw he was in the emergency and had two bullet wounds, and his condition was not good," Shawkat's uncle Adil Nuri told Rudaw, demanding an explanation from security officials regarding the incident.
Shawkat was a fourth-stage medical analysis student and worked at a glass factory in Sulaimani's Tanjaro area during his summer break.
The force added that it has launched an investigation into the incident.
Local military police in Erbil shot a young man in April.
The suspects handed themselves to the police at the time, who said a probe was launched into the incident. However, the investigation has yielded no result.
In February, a driver for the Kurdistan Region's parliament was found dead near a mosque in the Kurdish capital with his suspected killer subsequently identified and arrested two weeks following the murder.
