Three soldiers were killed Saturday in clashes with members of the PKK organization in Hakkari province, in the southeastern corner of Turkey, the Turkish General Staff said.
In a statement issued Saturday evening, the army said that six soldiers were wounded -- including one in critical condition -- in the clashes that took place during a security operation against the PKK in Daglica village of Yuksekova district.
17 militants were killed in the operations, the statement said.
Clashes continue, it added.
One of the soldiers was reported to be 43-year-old Colonel Ihsan Ejdar who was awarded the Colonel rank a month ago. He left his wife and 12-year-old daughter in capital Ankara to go to Daglica on a six-month duty.
Military officials Saturday night informed visited Ejdar’s family to inform them of his death, according to the Anadolu Agency reporter at the scene. The colonel will be buried Sunday in Ankara.
One of the other two victims was 34-year-old sergeant Turgay Topsakaloglu. His family in Eskisehir province was informed of his passing late Saturday.
Topsakaloglu was married with two children. He was also reportedly the brother of Tuncay Topsakaloglu, the mayor of Eleskirt district in eastern Agri province. His funeral ceremony will be held Sunday in Eskisehir.
Operations to continue
The Turkish army’s operations against PKK “will not stop, (they) will continue,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the reporters in Cyprus late Saturday.
Erdogan said that the operations would continue “until we establish peace and tranquility in this struggle within our country”.
During an election rally in central Kayseri province Saturday, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said, without naming any names, that “Those who do not want Turkey to grow and to become a powerful country are pushing the terrorism button."
The PKK -- designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and EU -- renewed its armed campaign against the Turkish state this summer.
Since July, more than 150 members of security forces have been killed while, according to the government, more than 2,000 PKK militants have been killed.
On Sept. 6, sixteen Turkish soldiers were killed by roadside bombs followed by clashes with PKK fighters in Daglica, Hakkari province, in the deadliest incident in the latest round of violence.
In the wake of the Ankara twin bomb blasts that left 102 dead on Oct. 10, Turkish media reported that the PKK terror organization had declared a unilateral ceasefire, vowing not to attack Turkish security forces until Nov. 1 when Turkey is scheduled to hold early general elections.
This article has been modified from the source material.
