Turky, August 17: The attack took place on Wednesday in the Cukurca region, which is close to the border with Iraq, AFP reported.
Doldar Hammo, a PKK spokesman, later claimed responsibility for the assault on behalf of the militants, saying, “Our forces have carried out an ambush against the Turkish army … on the border.”
Turkey’s Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz said, “They (rebels) are testing our patience… We’ll retaliate in kind.”
The PKK, which is recognized as a terrorist group by Turkey, Iran, Iraq, the United States, the European Union, and the United Nations, is responsible for many deadly operations in northern Iraq and southern Turkey.
The terrorist group has been fighting Ankara since 1984 for an independent state in southeastern Turkey.
—–Agencies