Policeman killed in PKK bombing in southeast Turkey

A Turkish policeman has been killed and six others injured in a bomb attack carried out in the southeastern province of Diyarbakir.

According to a statement issued by the office of the provincial governor, the bombing was carried out on Saturday in the Sur district of the province while the policemen were clearing streets of barriers and trenches made by supporters of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), the Hurriyet Daily reported.

The statement said a gun battle erupted with three PKK members after the blast.

“One individual was killed and the two [PKK militants] were wounded. In addition, 68 hand-made bombs and one Kalashnikov rifle were seized,” added the statement.

The incident came a day after the PKK killed another police officer in the same province, where a curfew has been announced in some neighborhoods.

Meanwhile, the Turkish military announced in a separate statement on Saturday that three PKK members died in an operation in Hakkari Province, southeastern Turkey, while one was killed in Adiyaman Province.

Turkey’s security operation

Turkey has been engaged in one of its biggest security operations in the southern border region in the recent past. The Turkish military has been conducting offensives against alleged positions of the Daesh Takfiri terrorists in northern Syria as well as those of the PKK in northern Iraq and southeastern Turkey.

The security operations began in the wake of a Daesh bombing on July 20 in the town of Suruc that killed scores of people. On July 22, the PKK claimed responsibility for the killing of two Turkish police officers, saying they were cooperating with Daesh.

However, the PKK has called on its members to halt militant activities in Turkey unless they are threatened by an attack.

On Saturday, the Firat news agency, which is close to the PKK, cited the group’s head as saying that the militants had been ordered to stop activities inside Turkey following calls from both in and out of the country.

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