News / Turkey

4 Turkish soldiers killed in clashes with PKK militants

Sunday, 31 July 2016 3:29 PM [ Last Update: Sunday, 31 July 2016 3:40 PM ]

File photo shows Turkish soldiers blocking a road at a military checkpoint near Diyarbakir in southeast Turkey. (AFP photo)

Clashes between Turkish army and militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) have claimed the lives of four Turkish soldiers.

Officials said Sunday that three soldiers were killed as PKK militants opened fire on forces stationed in a forested area of Ordu province in northern Turkey.

The provincial governor, Irfan Balkanlioglu, said in a statement that two soldiers were also injured in the skirmishes, adding that a large contingent of troops were sent to the area to assist an ongoing operation against militants.

Security sources said another soldier was killed and six more were wounded as Turkish forces launched a security operation in a remote corner of Hakkari province in southeast Turkey.

For about a year, Turkey has been carrying out a large-scale military crackdown on suspected PKK militants in the southeast. The military claims it has killed thousands of PKK members, although rights campaigners and Kurdish political parties challenge the figure, saying most of those killed have been civilians.

On Saturday, the army launched a counterattack on militants who were attempting to storm a military base in Hakkari. Sources said 35 PKK militants were killed in the clashes.

Dozens of Turkish soldiers have been killed in clashes with the PKK over the past months. Five soldiers were killed Friday after militants attacked troops on a road near Cukurca district in Hakkari.

Turkey has expanded its anti-PKK attacks into the Syrian and Iraqi territories, despite fierce opposition by the two Arab countries.

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