Turkish army: 4 soldiers and 17 PKK guerrillas killed
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - At least four Turkish soldiers and 17 guerrillas were reportedly killed in clashes between the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Turkish army in the southeastern province of Hakkari, the Turkish military announced on Sunday.
“On Saturday, the PKK fighters launched an attack on Turkish troops in the Daglıca village of Hakkari’s Yuksekova district, killing four Turkish soldiers and wounding five,” the military said in a statement.
One of the soldiers killed was Lt. Col. İhsan Ejdar, the commander of the battalion conducting the operations in the area, according to the Hurriyet Daily News.
Since late July, Turkish warplanes have been launching blistering attacks on PKK camps in the Kurdistan region of Iraq and in Turkey’s own Kurdish southeast.
The fighting shattered a 2013 fragile peace deal between Turkish authorities and PKK forces.
Army sources have said that only 129 soldiers and policemen were killed in two months of fighting while the PKK lost 337 of its guerrillas.
Clashes continue as the country prepares to hold general elections on November 1, following an inconclusive poll in June, after which the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) failed to muster the seats to form a new government in 45 days.
“On Saturday, the PKK fighters launched an attack on Turkish troops in the Daglıca village of Hakkari’s Yuksekova district, killing four Turkish soldiers and wounding five,” the military said in a statement.
One of the soldiers killed was Lt. Col. İhsan Ejdar, the commander of the battalion conducting the operations in the area, according to the Hurriyet Daily News.
Since late July, Turkish warplanes have been launching blistering attacks on PKK camps in the Kurdistan region of Iraq and in Turkey’s own Kurdish southeast.
The fighting shattered a 2013 fragile peace deal between Turkish authorities and PKK forces.
Army sources have said that only 129 soldiers and policemen were killed in two months of fighting while the PKK lost 337 of its guerrillas.
Clashes continue as the country prepares to hold general elections on November 1, following an inconclusive poll in June, after which the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) failed to muster the seats to form a new government in 45 days.