Turkey’s military: 16 troops killed, 6 wounded in PKK attack

Associated Press

Monday, Sept. 7, 2015 | 8:05 a.m.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey's military announced Monday that 16 soldiers were killed and six others were wounded in a Kurdish rebel attack against troops in southeast Turkey a day earlier. The attack was the deadliest assault on Turkish troops since renewed fighting between the rebels and Turkey's security forces erupted in July, shattering an already fragile peace process.

Rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, detonated improvised explosive devices near the village of Daglica, in the mainly Kurdish Hakkari province on Sunday, targeting soldiers who were traveling in a convoy. The attack, near where the borders of Turkey, Iran and Iraq meet, prompted the military to launch air operations against dozens of PKK targets.

A military statement said three F-4 jets and four F-16 were carrying out operations against PKK targets since Sunday. It said six caves, two storage facilities, three shelters and 12 anti-aircraft machine guns were struck during the aerial operation.

The statement said none of the six wounded soldiers were in a life-threatening condition.

Earlier, Firat News, a website close to the rebels, claimed that 32 soldiers were killed in the ambush. It said the rebels hadn't sustained any casualties.

The renewed fighting between the PKK and the security forces has killed about 200 people since July, including around 85 soldiers and police officers. The fighting derailed the 2 1/2-year-old peace process with the Kurds.

The PKK, which has been fighting for Kurdish autonomy in southeast Turkey, is considered a terrorist group by the United States, European Union and Turkey. Tens of thousands of people have died in the conflict since 1984.