Three Kurdish women murdered in Paris

USPA News - Three female Kurdish activists were murdered in Paris, officials confirmed Thursday as authorities search for the attackers. French Interior Minister Manuel Valls, who visited the crime scene on Thursday morning, confirmed that three women had been shot and killed, describing the attack as an `execution.` The murders took place at the Kurdistan Information Center in Paris` La Fayette street on Wednesday.

According to reports, the three Kurdish women were alone and on the first floor, which only has access through an entry code unless they are let in from the inside. However, it was unable to contact the women, and the friends went to the center, found bloodstains on the door, which they eventually broke down to enter. The three bodies were found at around 1 a.m. local time. The victims were identified as Sakine Cansiz, one of the founders of the Kurdistan Workers` Party (PKK) in the 1980s; Fidan Dogan, 32, who worked at the Kurdistan Information Center; and Leyla Soylemez, 25 who was only described as an activist. Few details were immediately available, but preliminary reports indicate that two of the women received fatal gunshot wounds to the neck, while the third was shot in the forehead and stomach. Valls called the killings `serious` and `unacceptable,` as he vowed that French authorities would find the perpetrators. The incident triggered hundreds of people to gather around the center and protest, as the news spread. As France has recently been working with the Turkish government in operations against the PKK, shouts were heard against President François Hollande, calling him a `Turkey assassin.` Turkish Prime Minister, Tayyip Erdogan said it was too early to blame anyone, stating that the government was committed to fight terrorism. Nonetheless, Erdogan said the murders could have been a provocative action.