Turkish Soldiers Killed in PKK Attack, Army Says

An ambush organized by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has claimed the lives of three Turkish soldiers, the country's armed forces say.

PKK members opened fire on the ??rnak Görmeç Gendarmerie Battalion. The gendarmeries responded and an armed clash followed, Today's Zaman reports.

Turkey's Chief of General Staff later issued a written statement to confirm that three troops had lost their lives in the incident which took place near ??rnak, a town in the southeast.

The Thursday attack comes amid renewed clashes between the army and PKK members and some ten days after Ankara launched air strikes on PKK positions - first in Iraq, but later also in Turkey itself.

On Tuesday Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that the peace process that was launched with the PKK in 2013 cannot continue as rebels are attacking Turkish targets.

Hürriyet Daily News quotes Turkish intelligence sources as saying that as many as 190 PKK militants have died in two major airstrikes in Iraq and Turkey on July 24 and July 28, while more than 300 have been injured.