Turkey: 300 kg of improvised explosives destroyed

BITLIS, Turkey

Security forces in eastern Turkey have destroyed some 300 kilograms (660 pounds) of improvised explosives found under a bridge, said an official statement on Friday.

The explosives had been planted in years past by the terrorist PKK under a bridge on the 50-kilometer (31-mi) road connecting the cities of Bitlis and Baykan, said the Bitlis Governorship in a statement.

The explosives were defused by bomb disposal units, it added.

The statement added that security forces will resolutely continue the fight against terrorism with the support of the people of the region.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.

*Writing by Burak Dag