Two soldiers killed, one wounded in blast in Turkey's southeast
Hurriyet.com.tr
Turkish Armed Forces photo
Two soldiers were killed and one was wounded in a bomb attack by suspected members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır, daily Hürriyet reported today.The bomb targeting a military vehicle was planted on a road in the province's Lice district and was reportedly detonated by remote control.
One civilian was also injured in the blast, according to reports. An operation has been launched to apprehend the perpetrators of the attack.
The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.
A separate explosion had hit the same road an hour earlier near Kayacık village, Diyarbakır Gov. Mustafa Toprak said. No one was hurt in that explosion.
PKK militant killed
Meanwhile, a suspected PKK militant was killed after attacking a police vehicle with an assault rifle in the eastern province of Van yesterday night.
A police vehicle patrolling the road between Van’s city center and the district of Erciş came under fire at around 9 p.m. The vehicle was hit by bullets but the officers inside were not harmed as the assailant fled the scene.
Police special forces launched an operation after the attack, surrounding possible suspected hideout locations, while placing checkpoint on roads leading in and out of the city.
The assailant was spotted in a house along with another PKK militant and two civilians at around midnight. A firefight broke out between the two militants and the police as the militants refused to surrender. The suspect who attacked the police vehicle was killed in the clash while the other PKK militant was captured alive. Two people in the house were detained on suspicion of aiding the militants.
Border outpost, garrison attacked
Elsewhere, a border outpost on Turkey's border with Iraq in the Şemdinli district of the eastern Hakkari province and a battalion headquarters in the same region were hit by mortars yesterday night. No one was hurt in the attacks.
The location from which the mortars were launched was struck by artillery fire.
