3 Turkish soldiers killed in clashes with PKK militants in southeast Turkey
Turkish soldiers in a tank and an armored vehicle patrol on the road to the town of Beytussebab in the southeastern Sirnak province, Turkey, September 28, 2015. (REUTERS/Stringer/File)
Ankara (IraqiNews.com) – Three Turkish soldiers were killed and another wounded Sunday in clashes with Kurdish militants belonging to the outlawed PKK group in southeast Turkey, the private news agency DHA reported.
The fighting occurred in Hakkari province, nestled up against the Iraqi and Iranian borders, DHA said, adding that three militants -which it termed terrorists- were also killed.
Turkey has been fighting the PKK or Kurdistan Workers’ Party since a fragile ceasefire between both sides collapsed in 2015.
The group is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., NATO and the European Union.
The Kurdish insurgency led by the PKK has claimed more than 40,000 lives since it began in 1984. The PKK is mainly active in southeast Turkey, and it has rear bases in mountainous zones over the border in northern Iraq.
Turkey’s military launched an offensive in May seeking to destroy those rear bases.