PKK abducts two Turkish soldiers: army

ISTANBUL

Suspected militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) abducted two Turkish soldiers in eastern Turkey amid a flare-up of violence between militants and security forces, the army said Oct. 3. 

The militants seized the soldiers late Oct. 2 after stopping a passenger bus on a highway between the Tunceli and Erzincan provinces, the army’s high command said in a statement on its website. 

An operation was under way to find the soldiers, who were off-duty when they were kidnapped, it added. 
   
There were no further details about the situation of the soldiers, but Doğan News Agency reported that the two conscripts were taken by militants into the nearby mountains of the Pülümür region. 

More than 150 soldiers and police have been killed in attacks since July blamed on the PKK. The Turkish government responded by striking PKK's bases in southeastern Turkey and northern Iraq, killing dozens of militants, according to official statements.