An unequivocally remarkable GoPro video of a ferocious and deadly close quarters ambush executed by Kurdish fighters against Turkish troops has been released. The violently gripping, multi-perspective video takes the viewer inside the thrilling action as two Kurds surprise and vividly kill several soldiers at incredible close range.
With the ubiquity of high quality video cameras on the modern battlefield, stepping inside the combat action has become readily available to even the most timid voyeurs. Often mounted on tanks or the individual combatants, the videos are easily collected and collated to paint extraordinarily vivid pictures of ongoing conflicts to people thousands of miles away. Even with this modern prevalence of so-called “helmet-cams,” videos of close quarters fights between adversaries are comparatively rare.
Recently released via the Kurdish People’s Defense Forces (HPG), the multi-perspective video below is one of those typically rare and truly astonishing actions captured for martial posterity. While a Turkish patrol ascends a steep mountain, two Kurdish fighters patiently conceal themselves in the rocks – setting the deadly ambush near the summit.
Following the grueling climb, the Turkish troops wearily near the top and its draining physical exertions become apparent. The point soldier approaches, his head noticeable focused on the ground in front of him – he doesn’t even appear to react as the first AK round rips through him.
The duo of GoPro donning Kurds has sprung from their hidden positions and brutally seize the element of surprise. With thoroughly absolute violence of action on their sides, they completely stun the unsuspecting soldiers. Killing one, and then two, of the soldiers in the opening salvo of the ambush.
Instantly cutting down the first few soldiers with AK’s, the HPG fighters quickly throw several hand grenades into the into the chaotic kill-zone and further inflict deadly carnage. Reeling from this violent onslaught, the surviving Turkish soldiers desperately try to fight back and begin emplacing a PKM machine gun behind a large boulder. However, the Kurds maintain their momentum and begin attacking down the hill on the soldier’s flank.
Carefully maneuvering around the boulder and mutually supporting each other, the HPG fighters viciously hit the machine gun team on their unprotected flank. They kill one soldier outright -before a Kurd aggressively rushes up and takes cover on the opposite side of the boulder. Just a few feet from each other, the desperate Turk now realizes his peril and frantically tries to swing his PKM around to the threat. He only gets off one burst before the Kurd shoots him in savage and stunning clarity, firing round after round into the dying soldier as he instinctually crawls away. The HPG fighters immediately grab the dead soldiers weapons and the video concludes with them quickly exfiltrating the area, claiming to have killed five Turkish troops in the ambush.
Graphic Content Warning: This video contains graphic content that may be unsuitable for some viewers.
