Ten Turkish soldiers killed in Turkey-PKK violence

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – An improvised explosive device (IED) on a rural road killed at least four Turkish troops and wounded 11 others in the Kurdish Province of Mardin on Monday, said Kurdistan 24 bureau in Diyarbakir.

Elsewhere, in Sirnak Province bordering the Kurdistan Region, six more Turkish soldiers were reported dead in clashes in mountainous areas with the PKK.

There was no claim of responsibility for the IED blast as of the time of publishing this report, though a statement on the website of the Mardin Governorate blamed the attack in the Kiziltepe county on the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

The Turkish forces sent reinforcements to the area and began a wide-ranging operation in pursuit of Kurdish fighters, said the private-owned Dogan news agency.

Violence between PKK guerrillas and Turkish forces in Eastern Turkey called Bakur (Northern Kurdistan) among the Kurds has risen particularly in the aftermath of the July 15 botched coup attempt.

A two-years held ceasefire and peace negotiations mediated by the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) between the PKK and the Turkish Government had collapsed in August 2015, leading to months-long clashes in a dozen Kurdish cities between the two sides that left hundreds, including civilians, dead.

A Monday press release on the website of PKK's military wing People's Defence Forces (HPG) said Kurdish fighters killed at least nine Turkish soldiers in the Hakkari, Sirnak, and Van provinces.

The website of the Turkish Armed Forces, on the other hand, declared the killing of at least 15 Kurdish fighters in Dersim, Sirnak, and Hakkari in clashes in the last two days.

Airstrikes conducted by Turkish warplanes on Tuesday targeted PKK bunkers and shelters in the Zap Region of the Duhok Governorate in the Kurdistan region, according to the website.

Editing by Ava Homa