A handmade bomb detonated by remote control is believed to have been used in an attack on a Turkish military convoy in the mainly Kurdish southeast
ADVERTISEMENTA handmade bomb detonated by remote control is believed to have been used in an attack on a Turkish military convoy in the mainly Kurdish southeast.
The armed forces say six members of the security forces were killed and one seriously injured.
One vehicle in particular appears to have borne the brunt of the blast.
Thursday morning’s attack – the day after the Ankara bombing that killed 28 people, mainly soldiers – brought no immediate claim of responsibility.
But it’s said to bear the hallmarks of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which is fighting an insurgency in the region.
The convoy was apparently searching for mines as it headed from the region’s largest city Diyarbakir to the district of Lice.
Reports say those killed were all military officers.
Recently security operations against the PKK have concentrated on the area around Cizre near the Syrian border.
The army says hundreds of Kurdish militants have been killed since a curfew was imposed in December.
The pro-Kurdish HDP party claimed last week that 128 civilians had been killed, while the pro-Kurdish Democratic Regions Party (DBP) said earlier this week that 150 people had been killed in Cizre alone since February 7.
Thousands of people have fled the area since a ceasefire between the Turkish authorities and the PKK collapsed last July.
The Turkish government has blamed the Syrian-based Kurdish YPG militia for Wednesday’s Ankara bombing.