The Austrian Army has announced the suspension of its operations to rescue earthquake survivors in Turkey because of the threat posed by clashes between armed groups that are occurring right now in the southern province of Hatay, where the military operates.
«The aggression between factions in Turkey is on the rise,» Colonel Pierre Kugelweis told the official Austrian news agency APA, after acknowledging that he had received reports of gunfire in the area.
Hatay is the province most affected by the earthquake in Turkey, bordering northwestern Syria, where some 900 people have died and more than 1,200 buildings have been destroyed, according to the Turkish government. It is also home to some 400,000 Syrian refugees from the war in the neighboring country.
Although the army does not identify these groups, the province has been the scene of occasional clashes between the Turkish army and guerrillas of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been at war with Ankara for decades.
«The success of saving lives bears no reasonable relation to the security risks,» added the colonel, heading a contingent of 82 military rescuers.
However, he also wanted to point out that there has been no direct attack on the mission, which will remain in place until the situation improves. «The circumstances are what they are,» he said.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
