Seven Turkish soldiers killed in two PKK attacks in southeast Turkey

Two attacks claimed by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants have killed six Turkish army soldiers in southeast of the country.

Security sources said Sunday that the first attacked killed five soldiers who were traveling in Hakkari Province when a roadside bomb ripped through their military vehicle.

They said PKK militants had planted the bomb on a road along the border with Iraq.

The Turkish army declared an alert for border units while an air-backed operation was launched to find those responsible.

State-run Anadolu agency quoted other military sources as saying that “PKK terrorists” were behind the attack.

In a separate development, Kurdish militants conducted a car bomb attack against a military outpost in the Ercis district of Van province in southeast Turkey, in which one soldier lost his life along with a member of the village guard, Anadolu agency reported.

At least 15 people were injured including 10 soldiers and five village guards during the second attack. Among those wounded, one was seriously injured in the mainly Kurdish province, AFP quoted a Turkish army statement as saying.

SS