Kuşkonar massacre

The incident took place at the villages of Koçağılı and Kuşkonar, Sirnak Province, in the morning of 26 March 1994 whilst most male residents of the both villages were working in the fields outside the villages. Villagers heard aircraft flying nearby at around 10.30 and 11.00 AM. Turkish Air Force military aircraft and a helicopter circled both villages and started to bomb them. Villagers who saw bombs tried to escape the bombardment, but machine gun fire from the helicopter prevented their escape. Some people received direct hits and some were trapped under the rubble of the houses that were destroyed in the bombing.[1]

After the bombardment 38 people had died, 13 people in Koçağılı and 25 in Kuşkonar. Most of those who died were children, women or elderly, including seven babies. In addition, a total of 13 people were injured.[1] Later the Turkish Armed Forces soldiers blamed the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and used the incident as a propaganda. The government had also refused to start investigations despite the complaints of the survived villagers and their relatives.[1][7]