Three Turkish soldiers killed in Kurd mortar attack from Iraq

ISTANBUL: Three Turkish soldiers died Saturday in a mortar attack by Kurdish rebels launched from Iraqi territory, the Turkish defence ministry said.

“Three of our brothers in arms died as martyrs after mortar fire from northern Iraq by terrorists,” the ministry said, in reference to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) group. A fourth soldier was wounded, it said in a statement. The attack targeted a military base in the border province of Hakkari, the ministry said, adding that the Turkish army had responded with aerial bombardments and artillery fire.

The PKK, branded a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984. The conflict has claimed more than 40,000 lives.

The PKK’s deployment in northern Iraq has been a constant source of tension between Baghdad and Ankara, with Turkey pressing Iraq to play a bigger role in fighting the group.

The defence ministry also said that another Turkish soldier had been killed Saturday in northern Syria by the People’s Protection Units (YPG), a Kurdish militia closely allied with the PKK. Unlike the PKK, however, the YPG has the backing of Western powers in its fight against the Islamic State group. </s> has killed 28 Kurdish militants in retaliation to an attack which left three Turkish soldiers dead, the said in a statement.

On Saturday, three Turkish soldiers were killed and one was injured in a mortar attack by (PKK) in southeastern province, reported.

The attack targeted a military base in the border province of Hakkari, according to the Ministry.

Meanwhile, one Turkish soldier was killed and another was wounded after an attack by the in the mainly Kurdish-controlled northern Syrian region of Tel Rifaat.

had responded with aerial bombardments and artillery fire both in Turkey's and Syria's Tel Rifaat, the Ministry said.

The PKK, regarded as a terrorist group by Turkey, the US and the EU, has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984. </s> ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey says eight soldiers were killed and eight wounded in clashes with Kurdish militants in the country's east.

The governor's office of Van released a statement Saturday on operations against members of the "separatist terror organization," Turkey's description of the Kurdistan Workers' Party or PKK. The statement says 11 militants were killed in the Friday operations around Tendurek mountain.

The three-decade-long conflict between Turkey and the PKK has killed an estimated 40,000 people. The state-run Anadolu news agency says more than 600 Turkish security personnel and thousands of PKK militants have been killed since a fragile cease-fire collapsed.

Rights groups say hundreds of civilians have also been killed in the clashes. </s> ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Four Turkish soldiers and 20 armed assailants were killed on Friday in clashes between the military and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) near the border with Iraq, Turkey’s defense ministry and military said.

A military base was attacked overnight in the mountainous Cukurca district of Turkey’s southeastern province of Hakkari, prompting the military to respond with an air operation, news agencies and the ministry said on Saturday.

The Turkish military said “at least 20 terrorists were neutralized” as a result, and it held a ceremony for the dead soldiers on Saturday, according to state-run Anadolu news agency. Hulusi Akar, the defense minister, was to attend.

The ministry said six other soldiers were wounded in the clashes. “Terrorists are under intense fire with the air operation and fire support vehicles in the region,” it said.

The PKK, which has waged an insurgency for autonomy in Turkey’s largely Kurdish southeast since 1984, is deemed a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

“Turkey is determined to continue its fight against terrorists and their supporters by making no compromises,” Mustafa Sentop, the speaker of Turkey’s parliament, was quoted as saying by Anadolu. </s> Militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) killed 10 Turkish soldiers and a village guardsman in two separate incidents in Turkey, state media reported on Saturday.

Eight Turkish soldiers were killed during clashes with rebels in the eastern province of Van on Friday, the governor’s office said, quoted by state-run news agency Anadolu.

Eight soldiers were also injured in the same operation against the “separatist terror organisation”, the name Turkey gives to the PKK, Anadolu reported.

Late on Friday, two soldiers and a village guard were killed in an attack on a checkpoint in Mardin in the restive southeast blamed on the PKK, the agency reported.

The guard killed was part of a group of local residents who cooperate with Turkish security forces against the PKK, listed as a terror group by Ankara and its Western allies. Three security guards were also wounded.

In a statement, the Van governor’s office said the condition of those in hospital was “good”, although their treatment continued.

Thirteen PKK fighters were killed by Turkish jets around Tendurek mountains in Van province, the office said, while Anadolu reported that the operation supported by the air force continued.

Since the collapse of a two-year ceasefire in July, Anadolu reported over 600 Turkish security force members have been killed by the PKK in renewed fighting.

The government has responded with military operations against the group, killing more than 7,000 militants in Turkey and northern Iraq, the agency said. It is not possible to independently verify the toll.

Activists claim innocent civilians have also been killed in the offensives.

More than 40,000 people have been killed since the PKK first took up arms in 1984. </s> ISTANBUL — Turkey’s state-run news agency says eight soldiers have been killed and five wounded after Kurdish militants detonated a car bomb outside a military station in the southeastern town of Semdinli.

Citing a statement by the Turkish Armed Forces, the Anadolu Agency says the attack Sunday outside the Gendarmerie station was the work of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK.

Turkey has been rocked by a wave of bomb attacks since last summer that have killed hundreds of people and been blamed on either the PKK or the Islamic State group.

Fighting between the PKK and the state security forces resumed last year after the collapse of a fragile 2 ½-year cease-fire. Since then, more than 600 Turkish security personnel and thousands of PKK militants have been killed, according to Anadolu. </s> Turkey will continue ops along borders until threats eliminated, VP says

PKK terrorists detonated a bomb as a minibus with civilians passed on a road in southeastern Turkey's Şırnak province, killing two people.

The passengers were reportedly on their way to the Silopi town, returning from a picnic on the slopes of Mount Cudi in the Uyanık village, when their minibus was hit by the explosion.

The driver, 28-year-old Servet Bilen, and his 13-year-old brother, Diyar Bilen, were killed.

Also on Sunday in Şırnak, two Turkish soldiers were killed during a clash with PKK terrorists, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The attacks come after three soldiers were killed Saturday in the neighboring province of Hakkari by PKK shelling from northern Iraq, and a fourth was killed in clashes with the PKK's Syrian affiliate People's Protection Units (YPG) in Tel Rifaat in northern Syria, the Defense Ministry said.

The Turkish military launched a wide-scale air-supported counter-terrorism operation against the terrorists in response to the soldiers' deaths, neutralizing 28 PKK/YPG terrorists, according to the Defense Ministry.

Separately, security sources said Sunday that Turkish airstrikes had neutralized five PKK terrorists in northern Iraq as part of an operation launched to retaliate against the cross-border attacks a day earlier.

The airstrikes targeted the area across the border from the southeastern province of Hakkari, the sources said, adding that the army's operation in the region continued.

Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralized" in their statements to imply that the terrorists in question either surrendered or were killed or captured.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU. In its decadeslong terror campaign against Turkey, the group has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women and children. </s> Soldier killed in clash with Kurdish forces in Turkey

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey's state-run news agency says one Turkish soldier was killed and one wounded after Kurdish militants shot at security forces during a military operation in the southeastern province of Siirt.

Anadolu said Thursday that operations are ongoing to catch the perpetrators, with air support.

Violence between the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, and Turkish security forces resumed last year after the collapse of a two-year peace process. Since then, more than 600 Turkish security personnel and thousands of PKK militants have been killed, according to Anadolu. Rights groups say hundreds of civilians have also been killed in the clashes.

Last week, Turkey sent tanks across the Syrian border to fight the Islamic State group and to halt the advance of Syrian Kurdish groups affiliated with the PKK. </s> ISTANBUL -- Kurdish militants detonated a car bomb Sunday outside a military checkpoint in southeast Turkey, killing nine soldiers and wounding eleven others, Turkey's state-run news agency said. Turkey launched a military operation in response to the attack.

The Anadolu Agency, citing a statement by the Turkish Armed Forces, said the attack occurred at 9:45 a.m. outside a Gendarmerie checkpoint on the Semdinli-Yuksekova highway and was the work of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK.

The explosion produced a crater 50 feet wide and 23 feet deep. An infantry station located behind the checkpoint also suffered heavy damage.

Turkish authorities imposed a temporary blackout on coverage of the attack, citing public order and national security reasons.

 Energy Minister Berat Albayrak condemned the attack during a speech in Istanbul, calling on all countries to stand together against terrorism.

Turkey has been rocked by a wave of bomb attacks since last summer that have killed hundreds of people and been blamed on either the PKK or the Islamic State group.

Fighting between the PKK and the state security forces resumed last year after the collapse of a fragile 2-year cease-fire. Since then, more than 600 Turkish security personnel and thousands of PKK militants have been killed in clashes, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency. Rights groups say hundreds of civilians have also been killed in the fighting.

On Thursday, 10 people were slightly wounded by a bomb mounted on a motorcycle that exploded near a police station in Istanbul. On Friday, the militant Kurdistan Freedom Falcons, or TAK, considered an offshoot of the PKK, claimed responsibility.

Six people have been detained in connection with that attack.
Four Turkish soldiers were killed in an attack on their base in Iraq by Kurdish forces. Twenty PKK members were also killed in the attack.