Turkish army: 16 soldiers killed in attack by Kurdish militants
ISTANBUL The Turkish army said Monday that 16 soldiers were killed and six wounded in an attack by Kurdish militants, the ANF news agency reported.
The army bombed 13 targets belonging to the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) on Monday, in retaliation for the attack on Sunday in the southeastern village of Daglica.
A military convoy hit a booby trap in Daglica, prompting clashes between the PKK and the army.
“I strongly condemn the atrocious attack that caused the martyrdom and injuries of our soldiers,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, according to Anadolu news agency.
“The pain of our security forces martyred in a malicious attack by a separatist terrorist organization offends (us),” he said.
A cease-fire lasting more than two years between the government and the PKK ended in July.
Turkey has been carrying out airstrikes against the PKK and the Islamic State extremist group since July. The PKK has been carrying out almost daily attacks against Turkish security forces.
(c)2015 Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH (Hamburg, Germany)
Visit Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH (Hamburg, Germany) at www.dpa.de/English.82.0.html
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
