6 soldiers, 2 gunship pilots martyred in SE Turkey

ANKARA

Six soldiers and two gunship helicopter pilots were martyred in southeastern Hakkari province Friday morning, Turkish military said.

Turkish General Staff said in a statement that six soldiers were martyred and eight others were injured at 4.50 a.m. (0150GMT) in clashes with PKK terrorists at the Cigli military zone in Hakkari’s Cukurca district.

About an hour later, a gunship helicopter was sent to the region in response to the clash, but it crashed, killing two pilots, the statement added.

According to the statement said, the crash was being considered as a result of a “technical fault.”

Turkish army deployed F-16 jets, attack helicopters and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and additional troops in the region to “neutralize the terrorists.”

“Until now six separatist terrorist organization [a reference to the PKK terrorist] members were neutralized,” the statement said, adding the operation continues.

Hakkari province is in the southeast corner of Turkey, with Cukurca district located at the border with Iraq, serving as a route for terrorists entering Turkey.

PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and EU – resumed its 30-year armed campaign against the Turkish state in July 2015.

Since then, more than 440 security personnel, including troops, police officers, and village guards, have been martyred, and over 4,500 PKK terrorists killed in operations across Turkey and northern Iraq.