Turkish soldiers killed by suspected Kurdish militants in Diyarbakir

The exact death toll from clashes in Silvan, a town in southeastern Turkey’s Diyarbakir province, was not immediately clear.

According to sources, counter-terrorism teams, backed up by helicopters, launched a massive operation against the outlawed Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) in 28 districts of the metropolis, Xinhua news agency reported. More than 120 security personnel and hundreds of militants have been killed, Reuters reported on Friday citing local media.

Meanwhile in Istanbul, police detained 44 people, including district officials of the pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party (HDP), which the government accuses of being a front for the PKK – a charge denied by the party’s leadership.

The parliamentary elections of Turkey are planned to be held on November 1. An HDP spokesman had no immediate information on the arrests, and there was also no comment from Turkish police.

HDP co-leader Selahettin Demirtas said his party hopes this time for 110 seats in parliament, or 17 percent of the total votes.

HDP district officials have been detained in previous police raids in the predominantly Kurdish southeast.

A building is reportedly on fire following hits from Turkish Army artillery, reports on social media say.

The curfew came after the military said two Turkish soldiers had been shot dead on Thursday by Kurdish militants in Silvan as they left for work.

Recognized as a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, the PKK has waged an armed separatist war against Turkey for over 30 years, resulting in more than 40,000 casualties.