Turkish army captain killed in outlawed PKK sniper fire

ANKARA / MARDİN

The Turkish Air Force has held an operation on PKK targets in northern Iraq. AA photo

A Turkish Army captain was shot dead by an outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) sniper early on April 30 during a military operation in the Nusaybin district of the southeastern province of Mardin.

Turkey’s military also confirmed that one of its soldiers was killed in the district where operations have continued since March 14, when a curfew was declared.

Captain Alper Kalem was wounded in the fire in clash that erupted when a group of soldiers were trying to remove the bombs on the streets laid by the PKK militants at 7 a.m. local time.

Kalem was hospitalized by succumbed to his wound.

In the same neighborhood, two soldiers and one soldier were wounded in a rocket attack on an armored vehicle.

The clashes were continuing as of noon on April 30, agencies have reported.

Turkish warplanes destroyed PKK targets in northern Iraq early on April 30, the military also said.

In a statement, the Turkish General Staff said four F-16 and 14 F-4 jets carried out the raids on positions in Qandil, Hakkurk and Avasin between 23:00 p.m. and 1:40 a.m. local time.

It added that a pair of F-4 warplanes also carried out two airstrikes on PKK terrorist bases in the rural Güneycam area of the southeastern province of Şırnak.