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Turkish troops die in suspected Kurdish PKK attack | Turkish troops die in suspected Kurdish PKK attack |
(40 minutes later) | |
Eight Turkish soldiers have been killed in a suspected attack by Kurdish militants in Hakkari province, close to the Iraqi border. | Eight Turkish soldiers have been killed in a suspected attack by Kurdish militants in Hakkari province, close to the Iraqi border. |
Officials and Turkish media said the troops died after their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb or mine. There were also reports of a shoot-out. | Officials and Turkish media said the troops died after their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb or mine. There were also reports of a shoot-out. |
Defence Minister Ismet Yilmaz blamed the attack on the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). | Defence Minister Ismet Yilmaz blamed the attack on the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). |
The rebels have reportedly confirmed that they carried out the attack. | |
There has been an increase in Kurdish rebel attacks since July. | There has been an increase in Kurdish rebel attacks since July. |
Security sources told Reuters news agency that the cause of the latest deaths had been a remote-controlled explosive device. AFP news agency reported two separate mine blasts. | |
The attack occurred in the district of Cukurca, and officials said military reinforcements were being deployed to the area. | The attack occurred in the district of Cukurca, and officials said military reinforcements were being deployed to the area. |
"They [the rebels] are testing our patience. We'll retaliate in kind," Mr Yilmaz was quoted as saying. | "They [the rebels] are testing our patience. We'll retaliate in kind," Mr Yilmaz was quoted as saying. |
AFP news agency quoted Doldar Hammo, whom it described as a PKK spokesman, as saying his group had carried out the ambush. | |
Fighting had continued for two hours, he added. | |
Strategy questions | |
The attack will add to pressure on the government to devise a more effective strategy for combating the PKK, the BBC's Jonathan Head reports from Istanbul. | The attack will add to pressure on the government to devise a more effective strategy for combating the PKK, the BBC's Jonathan Head reports from Istanbul. |
The government has already said it will ask the police to play a bigger role in counter-insurgency, he says, but this idea has been challenged by critics who argue that the police are no better equipped to tackle the PKK than the army is. | The government has already said it will ask the police to play a bigger role in counter-insurgency, he says, but this idea has been challenged by critics who argue that the police are no better equipped to tackle the PKK than the army is. |
The government is also planning more cross-border operations into northern Iraq, where the PKK's main bases are. | The government is also planning more cross-border operations into northern Iraq, where the PKK's main bases are. |
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned recently of tougher action against Kurdish rebels. | Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned recently of tougher action against Kurdish rebels. |
Our correspondent says there is little talk now of renewing the so-called "democratic opening", an initiative from two year ago, which aimed to end the conflict in the south-east by expanding the rights of the Kurdish minority. | Our correspondent says there is little talk now of renewing the so-called "democratic opening", an initiative from two year ago, which aimed to end the conflict in the south-east by expanding the rights of the Kurdish minority. |
Kurds from the PKK have been waging an armed campaign for autonomy that dates back to 1984. | Kurds from the PKK have been waging an armed campaign for autonomy that dates back to 1984. |
More than 40,000 people have been killed in the violence. | More than 40,000 people have been killed in the violence. |
On Saturday, three soldiers were killed in a PKK ambush in eastern Turkey while last month, 13 soldiers and seven Kurdish rebels were killed in the deadliest clash in three years. |