Police officer dies after suspected PKK attack in southern Turkey

Police officer dies after suspected PKK attack in southern Turkey

2011-10-14 07:07:34 GMT+7 (ICT)

ANKARA (BNO NEWS) -- One police officer was killed on Thursday and three others were wounded in an attack by suspected members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in southern Turkey, local media reported.

Police officers on guard duty in front of a police station in the province of Hatay came under attack from PKK militants on Thursday, Governor Celalettin Lekesiz said. One police officer was shot dead while three others were wounded, including one who is in a critical condition.

One PKK suicide bomber was shot in the head and killed before he could detonate explosives which were strapped to his body, according to the Hurriyet Daily News.

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, Turkey 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.

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