Turkish Army shoots protesters at Kurdish border crossing

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Turkish Army opened fire on truck drivers protesting the closure of the Ibrahim Khalil border crossing between Turkey and the Kurdistan region, wounding five of the demonstrators, a Rudaw reporter said Thursday.

“The truck drivers have protested so they will be allowed to enter Cezire district, in Sirnak province, because they have families there. After they had been blocked from crossing the Ibrahim Khalil border to enter Turkey, they tried other ways which are mostly illegal,” said Rudaw's Garib Majeed.

When the protesters marched towards the border they were fired on by the Turkish Army. The five wounded drivers were immediately transferred to a hospital in Zakho, in the Kurdistan region.

Majeed added that there are still many drivers on the border who continue to protest, with some returning to the Kurdistan region.

Ibrahim Khalil border is considered the main border crossing between the Kurdistan region and Turkey, with many people and products traveling through each day.