4 people die in PKK attack in eastern Turkey

By Cemal Asan, Zafer Tayfur, Yilmaz Kazandioglu and Ilhan Toprak

VAN, Turkey

Four people, including three village guards and a citizen, lost their lives and two others were injured when PKK terrorists attacked a minibus in eastern Turkey's Van province Wednesday, the regional governor’s office said.

In a statement, the office said the attack took place in the province’s Baskale district.

An investigation into the incident was now underway, the statement added.

Meanwhile, in southeastern Hakkari province, a Turkish soldier succumbed to his wounds after PKK terrorists attacked security forces with mortar shells in Yuksekova district.

He died at the Hakkari State Hospital, according to a military source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.

Also in Hakkari, a soldier was martyred in an attack by PKK terrorists in Cukurca district, Turkish General Staff said in a statement.

The PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- resumed its decades-old armed campaign in July last year.

Since then, more than 300 civilians died and nearly 800 security personnel have been martyred. Around 8,000 PKK terrorists have been killed or apprehended.