Siyar is Scared of the Slightes Noise

Two children were killed and a third was seriously injured when a mortar shell hit them two weeks ago. Six year-old Siyar was playing in the garden with his two sisters when the accident happened in Yuksekova, Hakkari of Southeastern province.

"My grandchild Siyar, who has been injured with the mortar shell, is having psychological problems. I will open a lawsuit, and I am even thinking about taking the case to the European Court of Human Rights if necessary" grandfather Sabri Aslan told.

Aslan holds the Yuksekova Battalion Commandership responsible for the incident. A mortar shell by the battalion commandership on Wednesday, July 17, allegedly injured Siyar, and killed his sisters Hediye, 15 and Diyar, 10.

Being scared of slight noises

Siyar was taken to a local hospital in Diyarbakir and got discharged two days ago. He will have routine checkups at the hospital because of his injuries.

"Siyar does not want to speak with anybody. Although he is now scared of even the slightest noises. I am happy that Siyar's health is improving" Grandfather added. "I can not accept the deaths of Hediye and Diyar."

"The mortar came from the sky"

Aslan refuses the allegations that the children "found the mortar shell on the ground and started playing with it" accidentally setting it off. He is arguing that the shell fell from the sky to hit the children on the head.

"If the children had found the shell on the floor and had started playing with it, their arms and legs would have been injured. But my grandchildren were injured on the head."

"There are people who witnessed that the mortar shell fell from the sky. We will not let go of this," he added.

15-year-old War in the Southeast

Southeastern part of Turkey was once the scene of bitter clashes between Kurdish guerrilla PKK and the Turkish troops. 30 thousand people lost their lives including civilians, Turkish soldiers, and PKK guerrillas. The Kurdish rebels declared a unilateral ceasefire in 1999, ending a 15-year-old armed struggle. But sporadic clashes continue.

Hand grenades, bombs or mines found in rural areas have claimed the lives of dozens in the area, mosly killing small children who accidentally set off the bombs while playing with them. (IA/NK/EA/NM)