Get 40% Off
🤯 This Tech Portfolio is up 29% YTD! Join Now to Get April’s Top PicksGet The Picks – Just 99 USD

Kurdish militants claim deadly ambush, Turkish jets retaliate

Published 09/06/2015, 04:44 PM
Updated 09/06/2015, 04:44 PM
Kurdish militants claim deadly ambush, Turkish jets retaliate

Kurdish militants claim deadly ambush, Turkish jets retaliate

By Orhan Coskun and Ece Toksabay

ANKARA (Reuters) - Kurdish militants said on Sunday they had killed 15 soldiers in an attack on an army convoy in southeast Turkey, and a security source said the military responded with air strikes.

In a statement posted online, the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) said its guerrillas had ambushed the convoy of armored vehicles in Yuksekova district, in what could be the bloodiest assault since the collapse of a ceasefire in July.

"An attack from several sides left 15 soldiers dead, and a large number of weapons were seized in the action," the statement read.

The number of casualties could not be independently verified but in a televised statement President Tayyip Erdogan confirmed an incident had taken place in Hakkari province, close to Turkey's borders with Iran and Iraq.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who had been watching the national soccer team playing in the city of Konya, left the stadium early to return to the capital as news of the attack broke.

A senior security official told Reuters that Turkish jets had retaliated, hitting at least 10 PKK targets, including those behind the ambush.

The clashes mark a crescendo in a deadly stream of attacks since July, which officials said had already claimed the lives of at least 70 members of the security services and hundreds of PKK militants.

The PKK has fought a three-decades-long insurgency against the government, demanding greater Kurdish autonomy. The group is listed as a terrorist organization in both Europe and the United States.

Each side blames the other for the collapse of the ceasefire, which has left efforts to bring a lasting end to the conflict in tatters.

"A new strategy will be adopted in the fight against terror. We'll continue with determination," Erdogan said in his address.

The location of the ambush had painful symbolism for the Turkish armed forces. It took place near the village of Daglica, scene of a PKK attack in 2007 in which 12 soldiers were killed and eight captured.

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.