18 killed in PKK suicide bomb attack in Turkey's Hakkari

Ten soldiers and eight civilians were killed on Oct. 9 in an outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) suicide bomb attack targeting a military road checkpoint in the Şemdinli district of the eastern province of Hakkari, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım has announced.

Speaking ahead of a ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) consultation meeting in Istanbul, Yıldırım said 10 soldiers and eight civilians were killed in the suicide attack when a PKK bomber blew himself up inside a bomb-laden pickup that drove into the Durak gendarmerie road checkpoint in the district. 

Yıldırım said five tons of explosives were used in the attack, which created a six-meter deep hole at the scene and damaged buildings nearby. 

Two of the killed soldiers were identified as Pvt. Eyüp Hacıoğlu and Gendarmerie Specialized Sgt. Hasan Aydoğdu.

In addition, the Hakkari Governor's Office also stated that 27 people, including 11 soldiers, were wounded in the attack and were transferred to hospitals with a military helicopter.

It detailed that the bomb-laden pickup disobeyed stop warnings while other PKK militants opened harassment fire to distract attention. The pickup was later detonated.

Meanwhile, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) announced that a wide-scale air-supported operation was being conducted in the region.

Turkey's media watchdog, RTÜK, also imposed a customary gag order following the attack.

The latest series of security operations in rural areas of the region had seriously limited the power and abilities of the PKK, making them attempt to stage suicide attacks, according to Yıldırım.

The premier voiced determination in the country's fight against the PKK, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)...