Kurdish rebels kill 24 Turkish soldiers
- 13 years ago
Gunfire echoes out into the night after a deadly attack by Kurdish rebels on Turkish military outposts.
At least 24 Turkish soldiers were killed and 18 wounded - the biggest single death toll for Turkish security forces in years.
Ankara promised a swift and strong response, launching air raids on Kurdish rebel targets in northern Iraq.
Turkish commandos also crossed the border in pursuit of the rebels from the Kurdistan Workers Party or PKK.
Underlying the gravity of the situation, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan cancelled a planned trip to Kazakhstan.
Erdogan vowed to breathe down the necks of those responsible for the killing of the 24 soldiers.
The Prime Minister said that wide reaching operations were underway in hunting down the rebels, within the framework of international law.
Kurdish rebels took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984, and more than 40,000 people have since died in the conflict.
The PKK is considered a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.
Simon Hanna, Reuters.
At least 24 Turkish soldiers were killed and 18 wounded - the biggest single death toll for Turkish security forces in years.
Ankara promised a swift and strong response, launching air raids on Kurdish rebel targets in northern Iraq.
Turkish commandos also crossed the border in pursuit of the rebels from the Kurdistan Workers Party or PKK.
Underlying the gravity of the situation, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan cancelled a planned trip to Kazakhstan.
Erdogan vowed to breathe down the necks of those responsible for the killing of the 24 soldiers.
The Prime Minister said that wide reaching operations were underway in hunting down the rebels, within the framework of international law.
Kurdish rebels took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984, and more than 40,000 people have since died in the conflict.
The PKK is considered a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.
Simon Hanna, Reuters.