PKK Forces Kill Three Troops in SE Turkey

PKK Suicide Bomber Hits Military Outpost, Wounding Dozens

With Turkish warplanes continuing to pound their sites in northern Iraq, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) has launched multiple attacks against the Turkish military today, killing three and wounding dozens of others, some of them seriously.

The larger attack was a suicide bombing by PKK militants driving a tractor full of explosives, who attacked a military outpost near the border with Iran. The blast killed two Turkish soldiers and wounded 31 others. The toll is expected to rise, as at least four are in grave condition.

Another attack overnight targeted a patrol just south in the Mardin Province, killing a soldier and wounding seven others. This brings the number of Turkish security forces killed by the PKK since the fighting began about two weeks ago to 16.

Turkey and the PKK entered a ceasefire in 2012, and started negotiations on a settlement of their multi-decade war. This round of efforts appears to be over, at least for now, as Turkish officials talk up more attacks and the PKK suggests Turkey can no longer be trusted.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.