11 August 2016•Update: 12 August 2016
BRUSSELS
The European Union showed its support for Turkey following two separate PKK bomb attacks in the country's southeast, an official statement said Thursday.
According to the statement, the bloc “extended its condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to those injured”.
Eight people, including police officers, were martyred and several others injured Wednesday in the two attacks.
“The European Union reiterates its continuing solidarity to Turkey, its government and its people. The Turkish authorities are faced with difficult challenges, due also to the violent acts by PKK, which is on the EU list of terrorist organizations,” the statement said.
The U.S. also "strongly" denounced the attacks, with Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter calling them "despicable" in a statement.
"With these attacks, we are reminded of the remarkable bravery and self-sacrifice that allied security personnel demonstrate every day in the fight against terrorism," he said.
"The United States remains committed to cooperating closely with Turkey -- bilaterally, within the counter-ISIL [Daesh] coalition, and within NATO -- in order to defend our nations against common threats," he added.
During a press briefing on Thursday, the U.S. State Department also condemned Wednesday's bombings.
The PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization also by the U.S. and the EU -- resumed its 30-year armed campaign against the Turkish state in July 2015.
Since then, over 600 security personnel, including troops, police officers and village guards have been martyred and more than 7,000 PKK terrorists killed or neutralized in operations across Turkey and northern Iraq.
*Reporting by By Hasan Esen; Writing by Hatice Kesgin; Esra Kaymak Avci contributed to this story from Ankara and Washington DC.
