news

Six Turkish soldiers killed, eight injured in mine blast in Southeast

ISTANBUL - Six Turkish soldiers were killed and eight others were injured when a landmine planted by the terrorist PKK exploded in the southeastern part of the country, the military said on Thursday. (UPDATED)


The blast occurred at 11:40 p.m. (GMT 20:40) on Wednesday when the soldiers' military vehicle struck a remotely controlled landmine on a road in the Cukurca district of the southeastern province of Hakkari, the Turkish military said in a statement posted on its website.



One of the injured was in serious condition, Hakkari Governor Muammer Turker said.



Turkish troops, backed by helicopters, launched an offensive near the Iraqi border against PKK terrorists after the blast, news agencies said.



It was the heaviest toll suffered by Turkish soldiers since a bomb explosion killed nine soldiers at the end of April.



The PKK, which launches cross-border attacks on Turkey from bases in northern Iraq and frequently uses remote-control landmines to target the country's security forces, is listed as a terrorist group by Turkey and much of the international community, including the EU and the United States