Roadside explosion kills Turkish soldier in Siirt province

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A roadside bomb exploded on a group of Turkish soldiers in the country’s Kurdish province of Siirt on Tuesday, killing a soldier and injuring another, state media reported, blaming the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) for the explosion. 

The incident took place in Pervari district while the soldiers were patrolling the area, Anadolu Agency reported, claiming that the bomb was planted by the PKK. Two Turkish soldiers were injured, with one of them succumbing to his injuries.

Turkey’s defense ministry also confirmed the death of one soldier in Tuesday’s incident.

Turkey regularly carries out military operations against the PKK in the southeastern part of the country and in the Kurdistan Region. 

The PKK is an armed group fighting for the increased rights of Kurds in Turkey. It is designated as a terrorist organization by Ankara. 

The Turkish army has carried out seven stages of a series of military operations, code-named Eren, against the PKK in Kurdish areas. 

The operation is named after 15-year-old Eren Bulbul who was killed during a clash between Turkish forces and the PKK in Trabzon province on August 11, 2017. According to Turkish media, Bulbul had spotted some PKK fighters in his hometown Macka, and subsequently informed the police. When he accompanied the police to the area, he was killed. The PKK confirmed their involvement in the clash, but did not mention Bulbul.