Three Turkish soldiers and 28 Kurdish militants have been killed in air strikes and clashes over the past two days in Turkey’s predominantly Kurdish southeast, the military said on Saturday, two weeks before an election.
The soldiers were killed in clashes with Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants in Daglica, in the province of Hakkari, where six others were wounded. The military said it had killed 17 PKK members in a ground operation, which it said was ongoing, to flush out the attackers.
“One of the soldiers martyred in Daglica is the battalion commander. Operations are continuing,” President Tayyip Erdogan told reporters during a trip to northern Cyprus.
“Operations will continue until peace is attained. It is the job of the state to protect its citizens and the country.”