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Turkey-PKK conflict: Checkpoint car bomb kills 18 | |
(35 minutes later) | |
A car bomb attack by Kurdish militants on a checkpoint in south-east Turkey has killed 10 soldiers and eight civilians, Turkish officials say. | |
The attack in Durak came as soldiers had stopped a car for inspection. A statement said 26 people were wounded in the blast, 10 of them soldiers. | |
No group has admitted the attack. | No group has admitted the attack. |
Turkey has been fighting a Kurdish insurgency for decades and fears Kurdish gains in neighbouring Syria will fuel Kurdish separatism at home. | Turkey has been fighting a Kurdish insurgency for decades and fears Kurdish gains in neighbouring Syria will fuel Kurdish separatism at home. |
A statement by the Turkish army said the attack occurred at 09:45 (06:45 GMT) outside a gendarmerie checkpoint some 20km (12 miles) from the town of Semdinli, Hakkari province. | |
The governor of the province Cuneyit Orhan Toprak said the attackers had first opened fire on the soldiers at the checkpoint to distract them before driving a minivan and detonating it. | |
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said it had been perpetrated by "a suicide bomber who detonated a van with five tons of explosives". | |
A string of attacks by the Kurdish militant PKK have targeted Turkish security forces since the collapse of a ceasefire last year. | A string of attacks by the Kurdish militant PKK have targeted Turkish security forces since the collapse of a ceasefire last year. |
Turkish military operations in the south-east and retaliatory attacks by the PKK have left hundreds of people dead. | Turkish military operations in the south-east and retaliatory attacks by the PKK have left hundreds of people dead. |
The government has ruled out any negotiations until the group completely disarms. | The government has ruled out any negotiations until the group completely disarms. |
Profile: Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) | Profile: Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) |
The latest violence comes as the army reels from a huge purge following a coup attempt in July. | The latest violence comes as the army reels from a huge purge following a coup attempt in July. |
Turkey is also battling so-called Islamic State (IS), whose militants have carried out a series of bloody attacks over the past year. | Turkey is also battling so-called Islamic State (IS), whose militants have carried out a series of bloody attacks over the past year. |
The PKK launched its insurgency in 1984, alleging widespread abuse and discrimination against Kurds by Turkish authorities. | The PKK launched its insurgency in 1984, alleging widespread abuse and discrimination against Kurds by Turkish authorities. |
Deadliest recent attacks on civilians in Turkey | Deadliest recent attacks on civilians in Turkey |
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