MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Three Turkish army servicemen were killed and 14 were injured in an attack by members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant group in the southeast of the country, the Turkish General Staff said in a statement on Sunday.
“During the attack by members of the separatist terrorist organization [PKK] in the town of Nusaybin in the Mardin Province on May 1, three of our comrades were killed. Fourteen soldiers were injured and were immediately sent to a hospital,” the statement reads.
Severe clashes between the Turkish Armed Forces and PKK have been arising sporadically in Turkey since a July terror attack in the city of Suruc, which killed over 30 people, most of them Kurds. As Kurds killed two Turkish policemen in what they called a retaliation attack, Ankara declared a military campaign against the PKK, which it considers to be a terrorist organization.
The Kurds comprise ancient tribal groups, which are currently living in parts of Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria. In Turkey, Kurds represent the largest ethnic minority, and are striving to create their own independent state.
