Clash has been reported between HPG (People's Defense Forces) guerrillas and Turkish soldiers in a rural area in Ağrı province of North Kurdistan today.

The clash reportedly broke out on the skirts of the Mountain Tendürek where Turkish troops launched an operation before a tree planting event by civilians led by HDP and DBP in Yukarı Tütek village.

Turkish General Staff has reported in a written statement that 4 soldiers were wounded in the clash that is still going on, adding that manned aerial vehicles, armed helicopters and reinforcing commando units have been despatched to the region.

The HPG has yet made no statement about the reports of clashes in the area.

Answering reporters questions in Ankara, HDP Co-President Selahattin Demirtaş called for the release of a satisfactory statement on the subject.

Referring to the statement of the General Staff which argued that “soldiers were sent to the area in line with intelligence reports that the people joining the event would spread propaganda for PKK and put pressure on local people to vote for the candidates they themselves support, Demirtaş said that “The General Staff should stop working for AKP. It is not a party to run in the elections and should avoid making such statements.”

HDP Co-President said they supported the most recent statement of İmralı Delegation Spokesman Sırrı Süreyya Önder, who said on a TV show that “PKK would gather the congress within a week if the state happened to take a step serving the process”.

Demirtaş said HDP made great efforts to ensure the progress of the process in search of a peaceful and democratic resolution to the Kurdish question, and also for the practice of the ten points highlighted as major steps to keep the process going.