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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Turkey PKK: 'Three soldiers killed' as convoy ambushed | Turkey PKK: 'Three soldiers killed' as convoy ambushed |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Three Turkish soldiers have been killed in an attack on a convoy in the south-east by PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) militants, the army says. | Three Turkish soldiers have been killed in an attack on a convoy in the south-east by PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) militants, the army says. |
| Drones, helicopter gunships and commando units have been deployed to strike PKK positions, it said. | Drones, helicopter gunships and commando units have been deployed to strike PKK positions, it said. |
| Thursday's attack is the latest in an upsurge in violence, which began last week. | |
| Prior to that, there had been a two-year ceasefire between the two sides. | Prior to that, there had been a two-year ceasefire between the two sides. |
| The government says PKK attacks on Turkey have made peace attempts impossible. | The government says PKK attacks on Turkey have made peace attempts impossible. |
| At the same time as launching attacks against the PKK in Iraq, the Turkish military also began air strikes against Islamic State (IS) targets in Syria. | At the same time as launching attacks against the PKK in Iraq, the Turkish military also began air strikes against Islamic State (IS) targets in Syria. |
| Open hostilities | Open hostilities |
| In Thursday's attack, a Turkish military statement said, Kurdish separatists opened fire on an army convoy in Sirnak province, killing three soldiers. | In Thursday's attack, a Turkish military statement said, Kurdish separatists opened fire on an army convoy in Sirnak province, killing three soldiers. |
| It followed an assault blamed on militants in the mainly Kurdish city of Diyarbakir late on Wednesday, in which a Turkish police officer and a civilian passer-by sustained lethal wounds. | It followed an assault blamed on militants in the mainly Kurdish city of Diyarbakir late on Wednesday, in which a Turkish police officer and a civilian passer-by sustained lethal wounds. |
| Last Friday's airstrikes have prompted a renewal of open hostilities with the PKK, which wants greater independence from Ankara for Turkey's Kurdish minority. | Last Friday's airstrikes have prompted a renewal of open hostilities with the PKK, which wants greater independence from Ankara for Turkey's Kurdish minority. |
| Many governments, including Turkey, Britain and the US, classify the PKK as a banned terrorist organisation. | Many governments, including Turkey, Britain and the US, classify the PKK as a banned terrorist organisation. |
| Turkish intelligence sources, cited by Hurriyet newspaper, say they believe as many as 190 PKK fighters have been killed - and 300 wounded - in airstrikes on Kurdish positions in the south east of the country and northern Iraq over the past week. | Turkish intelligence sources, cited by Hurriyet newspaper, say they believe as many as 190 PKK fighters have been killed - and 300 wounded - in airstrikes on Kurdish positions in the south east of the country and northern Iraq over the past week. |
| Thursday's attack on the convoy brings the total number of Turkish military and police killed in the last week to 11. | Thursday's attack on the convoy brings the total number of Turkish military and police killed in the last week to 11. |
| 'Peace impossible' | 'Peace impossible' |
| Turkey's President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said on Tuesday there was no hope for peace between Ankara and the Kurds, as long as the militants kept attacking Turkish positions. | Turkey's President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said on Tuesday there was no hope for peace between Ankara and the Kurds, as long as the militants kept attacking Turkish positions. |
| He said it was "not possible to continue the peace process with those who threaten our national unity and brotherhood". | He said it was "not possible to continue the peace process with those who threaten our national unity and brotherhood". |
| The leader of Turkey's pro-Kurdish HDP party, Selahatting Demirtas, has denounced Ankara's attempts to establish a "safe zone" inside Syria, and said strikes on IS targets were a cover for attacking Kurdish positions. | The leader of Turkey's pro-Kurdish HDP party, Selahatting Demirtas, has denounced Ankara's attempts to establish a "safe zone" inside Syria, and said strikes on IS targets were a cover for attacking Kurdish positions. |