Eight killed in fresh violence in Turkey
Pastor Dale Morgan
Sunday June 24, 10:32 PM
*Eight killed in fresh violence in Turkey*
A separatist Kurdish rebel and a civilian were killed in a botched
suicide attack in eastern Turkey while fighting elsewhere left five
rebels and a government militia member dead, local security sources and
officials said Sunday.
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) rebels stopped an oil-laden truck late
Saturday in the eastern province of Tunceli, and a militant armed with
bombs boarded next to the driver in an attempt to carry out a suicide
attack against a military outpost.
Paramilitary troops on duty at the station opened fire on the truck as
it was approaching the building at which point the vehicle exploded,
killing the driver and the rebel.
After the blast, rebels positioned in the vicinity opened fire on the
building with long-range assault rifles.
There were no losses on the Turkish side.
Tunceli has recently seen an increase in violence between PKK rebels and
the army. Earlier this month, seven soldiers and a PKK member were
killed when the militants attacked another military outpost there with
hand grenades and firearms.
In the southeastern province of Hakkari, which borders Iran and Iraq,
Turkish soldiers killed three PKK rebels late Saturday during a security
operation, the governor's office said in a statement.
In Diyarbakir, also in the southeast, two Kurdish rebels and a
government militia member were killed in a clash that erupted late
Saturday, the local governor's office said.
A second militia member was wounded, it added.
The militia are local men employed by the government to help in the
fight against the PKK.
The PKK has stepped up attacks this year and the Turkish military has
called for an incursion into adjoining northern Iraq where the rebels
have bases.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Ankara would focus on
fighting the rebels inside Turkey and seek dialogue with Baghdad to
resolve the issue.
More than 37,000 people have been killed since 1984 when the PKK, listed
as a terrorist group by Ankara and much of the international community,
took up arms for self-rule.