Turkey mourns "PKK killing" of 15-year-old in Macka

The killing of 15-year-old Eren Bulbul in northern Turkey on Friday at the hands of PKK terrorists has united Turkey in condemning the terror group, Anadolu Agency reported on Saturday.

Eren Bulbul died from gunshot wounds sustained as he helped security forces track PKK members nearby his house in Macka, a town 22 kilometres (14 miles) south of the Black Sea city of Trabzon.

Gendarmerie Master Sgt. Ferhat Gedik, 41, was injured in the same incident and also kille

Senior Advisor to the President Gulnur Aybet said in a tweet that the PKK was responsible for the murders of Bulbul and Master Sgt Gedik in Macka as well as another two soldiers in Batman.

Funeral prayers for Eren were held Saturday afternoon with hundreds attending the ceremony including Turkey's Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu.

Deputy Prime Minister Fikri Isik visited the hospital where Eren had been treated to express his condolences to the boy's family.

Locals reacted to the killing of Eren by hoisting Turkish flags from windows and balconies to mark the teenager's death, and a poster of Eren was also hung outside the town hall with the words: "Eren Bulbul, Maçka will never forget you. Our martyrs rest in peace."

On Twitter, thousands of Turkish people posted messages commemorating Eren with the hashtag #iyikivarsınEren (means 'glad to have you' in Turkish).

NGOs, politicians, artists, businessmen and sports clubs all over Turkey condemned terror and killing of the 15-year-old boy, in statements.

Football teams in the Turkish Super Lig will also come out onto the pitch with banners commemorating Eren and will stand in silence for one minute during the first week of the league on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, according to a statement of Turkish Football Federation on Saturday.

The PKK – listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US and the EU – has been waging a war against the Turkish state since 1984.

Some 40,000 people have been killed in the clashes mainly concentrated in Turkey's southeast, as well as various attacks elsewhere in the country.

The group resumed its armed campaign against Turkey in July 2015 after ending a two-year ceasefire, citing their objection to the state's construction of dams in the country's southeast.

Since then, the group has been responsible for the deaths of more than 1,200 Turkish security personnel and civilians.