Blast kills six Turkish soldiers, army strikes PKK hideouts in N. Iraq
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ISTANBUL - Six Turkish soldiers were killed when a landmine planted by the terrorist organization PKK exploded in the southeastern part of the country, the military said on Thursday. Turkish warplanes bombed PKK hideouts in northern Iraq later in the day. (UPDATED)
The blast occurred at 11:40 p.m. (GMT 20:40) on Wednesday when the soldiers' military vehicle struck a remotely controlled landmine on a road in the Cukurca district of the southeastern province of Hakkari, the Turkish military said in a statement posted on its website.
Eight Turkish soldiers, one of them in serious condition, were also injured in the blast, Hakkari Governor Muammer Turker said.
Turkish troops, backed by helicopters, launched an offensive near the Iraqi border against PKK terrorists after the blast, news agencies said.
One Turkish soldier died when he slipped and fell from a cliff during operations being carried out in the region, Dogan News Agency quoted Turker as saying.
It was the heaviest toll suffered by Turkish soldiers since a bomb explosion killed nine soldiers at the end of April.
The Turkish warplanes struck PKK targets in the Zap and Avasin-Basian regions in northern Iraq, the army said in a later statement.
It added all planes returned to their bases safely and described the operation as "effective."
The General Staff said jets only targeted the terrorist organization, PKK, and paid the utmost attention not to harm civilians.
WIDESREAD CONDEMATION
Turkish President Abdullah Gul told reporters that using landmines is the dirtiest type of terror and called for the widespread condemnation of terror.
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Gul also said this terrorist attack, staged at a time when all parties had shown the good will to solve the problems, is the biggest obstacle against raising the standards of society in
The “Our heartfelt condolences go to the families of the victims of this attack. We will continue our cooperation with
DTP CALLS FOR END OF MILITARY OPS
The leader of the Pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party, or DTP, Ahmet Turk, said people who favor a democratic solution must remove their finger from the trigger.
"We cannot solve any problems because we have not stopped the killings," he said in a written statement.
Turk also said that for weeks he has called for an end of military operations against the PKK.
"However, our efforts have not worked. The military operations have neither slowed nor have the (PKK) attacks stopped," he said.
The PKK, which launches cross-border attacks on Turkey from bases in northern Iraq and frequently uses remote-control landmines to target the country's security forces, is listed as a terrorist group by Turkey and much of the international community, including the EU and the United States.
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