Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Deputy Leyla Birlik attended the funeral of a member of the PKK terrorist group who was killed in a clash with police last week in Diyarbakır.

Security forces carried out an operation on a terrorist cell in the Kayapınar district of Diyarbakır. Murat Çelik, a member of the PKK's Civil Defense Units (YPS) urban structure, whose codename was "Mordem Andok," was killed in a shootout, and a grenade thrown by him had wounded 10 police officers. Ahmet Alp Taşdemir, one of the wounded officers, later died from his wounds.

Çelik's body was handed over to his family and interred at Yeniköy cemetery in Diyarbakır. Some officials from the HDP, including Birlik, the party's Şırnak deputy, attended the funeral ceremony.

The HDP came under fire numerous times for attending terrorists' funerals and making supportive statements about the PKK, despite the party's claims that they do not support and have no ties with the terrorist group.

Party's members have attended the funeral of PKK terrorists many times before. In the most controversial example, HDP Deputy Tuba Hezer attended the funeral and was a pallbearer for a terrorist who perpetrated the Ankara car bombing on Feb. 17, which killed 28 people, mostly civilians, and wounded 61.

Former HDP Co-Chair Figen Yüksekdağ, previously drew heavy criticism for calling the PKK a national liberation movement.

The conflict with the PKK, which is recognized as a terrorist organization by the U.S., EU and NATO, has claimed the lives of more than 40,000 people over the past three decades.