Schools in SE Türkiye reopen after PKK terror attacks

By Mehmet Akif Parlak and Okan Coskun

GAZIANTEP, Türkiye (AA) – Schools in Türkiye's border district of Karkamis, which became the target of PKK's terror attacks, reopened on Wednesday after nine days.

PKK/YPG terrorists in northern Syria launched rocket and mortar attacks on Karkamis, Gaziantep province on Nov. 21, leaving Aysenur Alkan, a teacher, and a 5-year-old boy dead.

A new teacher was assigned to Alkan's class.

Aydin Yildirim, a parent, told Anadolu Agency they missed Alkan and prayed that such a tragedy never happens again.

"There is more anxiety, children are afraid," he said, talking about the general mood after the attack.

Another parent, Tugba Alparslan said they cannot get over the shock of the incident.

“I'm going to drop my child off at school, their teachers are already here. We trust our teachers," she said.

Recently, Türkiye launched Operation Claw-Sword in northern Iraq and Syria, a cross-border aerial campaign against the terror group PKK/YPG, which has illegal hideouts across the Iraqi and Syrian borders where they plan and sometimes execute attacks on Turkish soil.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the terror group’s Syrian offshoot.

*Writing by Merve Berker