Turkish army doctor awarded for helping Iranian troops

A Turkish military officer was awarded by the local authority on Monday for providing emergency medical care to a group of Iranian soldiers who were wounded in a terror attack early last month in the southeastern Turkish province of Igdir.

Lieutenant Doctor Mehmet Bahadir Calhan was on duty when a small contingent of Iranian soldiers and engineers were attacked by PKK terrorists on the Turkish-Iranian border on Dec. 4, 2017.

As the nearest Iranian military outpost was far from the scene, the attacked group contacted the Turkish border battalion deployed in the vicinity of Gokay on the Turkish-Iranian border.

Lt. Calhan was immediately dispatched to the vicinity to give the group emergency care.

At least four soldiers were injured in the attack.

Governor of Igdir Enver Unlu received Lt. Dr. Calhan doctor on Monday and expressed his gratitude to him for providing initial medical care to the wounded Iranians under what he called were "highly difficult terrain conditions".

Calhan was awarded "a certificate of achievement" for his dedication to provide medical care despite challenging circumstances.

Listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU, the PKK resumed its terror campaign against Turkey in July 2015 after a brief period of non-violence.

Since then, it has carried out many attacks, resulting in the deaths of more than 1,200 Turkish security personnel and civilians, including a number of women and children.