ANKARA
The death of a Turkish soldier prompted airstrikes on Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) positions in the southeastern province of Hakkari on Wednesday, the military said.
Following a PKK attack on soldiers on the road between Semdinli and Tekeli in which one soldier was martyred and two others wounded, F-16 jets and attack helicopters were sent to the area, the Turkish Armed Forces said in a statement.
“Two F-16 jets dispatched to the region destroyed the machine guns of the separatist terror organization,” the statement said. “Attack helicopters, unmanned jets and troop reinforcements continue their operations to neutralize the terrorists.”
A security source told Anadolu Agency that 20 PKK militants were killed in the response although there was no official confirmation.
Operations against the PKK - listed as a terrorist group by Turkey, the EU and U.S. - have been ongoing since the group renewed its armed campaign against Turkish security forces at the end of July.
