One soldier killed by suspected PKK rebels in southeast Turkey

One soldier killed by suspected PKK rebels in southeast Turkey

2011-10-07 09:58:24 GMT+7 (ICT)

ANKARA (BNO NEWS) -- One soldier was killed in southeastern Turkey when a landmine exploded, local media reported on Thursday. The attack was carried out by suspected members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

The land mine was remotely detonated by suspected PKK militants as a military convoy was passing on a road near the Semdinli district of the southeastern Hakkari province. One soldier, whose identity was not immediately released, was killed, the Hurriyet Daily News reported.

A second soldier was wounded and flown to a military hospital in the region, the report said. Authorities are investigating the attack and looking for the perpetrators.

Suspected PKK rebels have killed at least 40 Turkish soldiers since July. Eight Turkish soldiers and a village guard were killed on August 17 when a roadside bomb and an ambush targeted a military convoy in Turkey's southeastern province of Hakkari near the Iraqi border. Among the fatalities was a military officer who was in command of the troops.

The PKK, which has been labeled as a terrorist organizations by the United States and the European Union, was established in 1984 in its efforts to establish the eastern and southeastern regions of Turkey as an autonomous Kurdish state. Over 40,000 soldiers and civilians have been killed in violent clashes since the group took arms. The PKK maintains its military bases across the Iraqi border.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-10-07