Turkey’s military announced Monday that 16 soldiers were killed and six others wounded in a Kurdish rebel attack against troops in southeast Turkey a day earlier.
The attack was the deadliest assault on Turkish troops since renewed fighting between the rebels and Turkey’s security forces erupted in July, shattering a fragile peace process.
Rebels of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) on Sunday detonated roadside improvised explosive devices near the village of Daglica, in the mainly-Kurdish Hakkari province which borders Iran and Iraq, targeting soldiers who were traveling in a convoy on a mission to clear the area of mines and explosives.
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Monday the rebels first fired on the soldiers and later detonated the bombs.
He said the troops were on a mission to clear the rugged terrain in Daglica of mines and explosives.
Daglica, just a few kilometers from the Iraqi border, is a main crossing point for the rebels to launch attacks on Turkey from bases in northern Iraq. Turkish security forces have frequently come under attack in this region.
“Our 16 martyred brothers were clearing the roads of land mines so that the people of the region could travel in peace,” Davutoglu said.
Once again, he vowed to press ahead with the fight against terror groups.
“We will continue our struggle against terrorism in a determined manner, without making any concessions on democracy or the rules of laws,” Davutoglu said. “Those mountains will be cleared of the terrorists,”
The Turkish prime minister added that the mountains, the plains, the highlands and the cities of his country would not be “left in the hands” of the terrorists.
The attack prompted the military to launch air operations against PKK targets in the area.