Two Turkish security forces killed and 24 wounded in PKK attack

The attack in Agri province is believed to be the first time the PKK is accused of deploying a suicide bomber in the current phase of the conflict, although it has used the tactic repeatedly in the past.

The governor’s workplace for Agri province stated the attackers struck a army police station with a lorry laden with two tonnes of explosives early on Sunday.

Ankara has launched a two-pronged “anti-terror” offensive against Islamic State jihadists in Syria and PKK militants based in northern Iraq after a series of attacks inside Turkey including a devastating suicide bombing blamed on the IS group.

The military said four of the injured soldiers were in serious condition.

After a review of the attack, the Turkish army said, “It was determined that no civilian locations were to be found in the vicinity affected by the bombing”. A day earlier, as many as 80 jets hit more than 100 targets, the agency said.

The PKK attack on Turkish security personnel was undoubtedly wrong but the massive Turkish retaliation was equally wrong.

Speaking at the “Civil Initiative against Terrorism” conference on Friday at the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) headquarters in capital Ankara, Davutoglu said that attacks by Daesh, the PKK and leftist groups have three goals: Turkey’s democracy, public safety and global reputation. The Syrian Kurdish force Peoples Protection Units (YPG) is reporting heightened aggression from Turkish war planes on their territory. At least 15 members of the security forces have been killed in attacks blamed on the PKK since July 21. It said the Turkish acts “will have negative consequences if they continue, and Turkey’s government will be held accountable for the results”. More fighters also crossed into the area from Turkey as part of the 2013 ceasefire.

He did not say whether the other victims were members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), an organisation outlawed in Turkey which has for years been sheltering in mountain regions on the Iraqi side of the border.

The president of Iraq’s Kurdistan region called on the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) Saturday to “withdraw” from Iraq’s Kurdish territory to prevent civilian casualties during Turkey’s airstrikes.

Meanwhile, the Turkish Foreign Ministry has pledged to carry out a full investigation into the incident.