3 soldiers killed in Turkey's Sirnak Province

Three Turkish soldiers have been killed in a bomb explosion and missile attack in the southeastern province of Sirnak.

Two soldiers were killed in a bomb blast that targeted their military convoy in the province on Tuesday. The Turkish army said the blast also left a third soldier and a village guard wounded as the convoy was travelling near the village of Arakoy in the province bordering Iraq and Syria.

Turkish security sources blamed the attack on the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants. Clashes reportedly broke out between Turkish soldiers and the militants following the blast.

A third soldier also lost his life in a missile attack against an armored brigade in the Silopi district of Sirnak, which was similarly blamed on the PKK. Another soldier was wounded in the attack.

Meanwhile, European Union Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn voiced concern over the situation in the Turkish border region, calling on the government in Ankara to be "proportionate" in its attacks against the PKK both in Turkey and Iraq in order to protect a peace process between the Turkish government and the PKK.

Over the past two weeks, Turkey has been witnessing a rise in deadly attacks against security forces and soldiers, with the government blaming the PKK for the assaults.

Official figures show that at least 20 Turkish soldiers have been killed since Ankara launched its military campaign about two weeks ago against the PKK in northern Iraq and positions purportedly held by the Takfiri ISIL terrorists. Nearly 300 PKK militants have lost their lives during the time period.

Turkey began its military action in the wake of a bomb attack in the southern border town of Suruc. Ankara blamed the blast on ISIL. Over 30 people died in the July 20 bombing in Suruc, located across the border from the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani.

The pro-Kurdish Turkish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) says Ankara has detained more than 1,000 of its members in recent days.

Seeking self-rule, the PKK has been engaged in militancy in southeastern Turkey for decades. An unstable ceasefire with the government, which had been in place since 2013, was declared null by the militants following the Turkish airstrikes against the group.

Turkey has also officially given the approval for the US military to use the Turkish base of Incirlik amid tensions in the border region.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk