Soldier killed in PKK attack in Turkey’s Hakkari

HAKKARİ

One soldier was killed in an outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) attack in the Yüksekova district of the southeastern province of Hakkari on Sept. 22, state-run Anadolu Agency has reported.

PKK militants detonated a hand-made explosive placed on a road near the Esendere-Çobanpınar region during the passage of an armored military vehicle.

One soldier was heavily wounded in the explosion and taken to Yüksekova State Hospital where he later succumbed to his wounds.

An operation against the militants in the region has been ongoing.

Earlier, four PKK militants were killed in a military operation in the province on Sept. 22, officials said.         
In a statement published on its website, the Hakkari Governor’s Office said the militants were killed in the village of İkiyaka in Yüksekova.   
     
“Four separatist terrorist organization members were neutralized after being fired by Fırtına howitzers,” the statement said.        

An investigation regarding the incident is underway, it added.   
      
In a separate statement on Sept. 22, the Turkish Armed Forces said jets destroyed PKK shelters and ammunition depots in northern Iraq on Sept. 21.        

The strikes targeted PKK positions in the Qandil, Matina and Gara regions.  

Meanwhile, at least 46 PKK militants have been killed in the provinces of Hakkari, Şırnak, Mardin, Siirt, and Diyarbakır during counterterrorism operations in the past one week, according to the Turkish General Staff.       

The operations were carried out between Sept. 14 and Sept. 21, the military said in a statement.     
  
At least 47 shelters and arsenals used by the militants were destroyed.

Forces also seized dozens of explosive materials and heavy ammunition.