Six Turkish soldiers were killed today in a clash with Kurdish militants in the southeast of the country while two more lost their lives when a military helicopter sent to the scene crashed.
Army said, eight others were wounded in fighting with members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party – PKK – near a military base in the Cukurca district of Hakkari province.
A Kobra helicopter despatched to the scene then crashed due to a technical problem, resulting in the deaths of the two pilots, the army added.
Turkish F-16 jets, helicopters and drones were scrambled to fight the terrorists and reinforcements were sent to the area. So far, six PKK militants have been neutralised in the follow-up operations which are continuing, the army said.
Turkey has been waging an offensive against the PKK after the collapse in 2015 of a two-year ceasefire declared by the group. Hundreds of members of the Turkish security forces have been killed in attacks since then, but President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed no let-up in the operations.