Turkish military launches operation after landmine kills 5 in Southeast

Hurriyet Daily News with wires

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The ground forces were supported by Cobra helicopters, according to the Dogan news agency.

Three of the dead were civilians, Anatolian Agency reported, citing security forces.   

The blast occurred near Cavizduzu village in Sirnak province when a vehicle carrying the five victims ran over a landmine planted by the terrorist PKK organization, the sources also 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. 

The village guard system was established in 1985 to help security forces in the Southeast combat the terrorist PKK organization in the southeastern parts of the country.

The military and the government say the village guards, who receive training by the army and use state-issued weapons, play a key role in protecting villages against PKK attacks.

But the village militia system has come under spotlight from human rights groups and critics after members were implicated in a wedding massacre Monday in which 44 people were killed. That violence was blamed on a family feud.

Photo is an archive image