Turkey: 8 Turkish troops killed, army helicopter downed in anti-PKK operations
Six Turkish soldiers were killed on Friday in a clash with Kurdish militants in Turkish Kurdistan, the southeast of the country, while two more lost their lives when a military helicopter sent to the scene crashed, the army said.
The six troops were killed and eight others wounded in fighting with members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) near a military base in the Cukurca district of Hakkari province.
A Kobra helicopter dispatched to the scene then crashed due to a technical problem, resulting in the deaths of the two pilots, the army added.
Meanwhile the military wing of the PKK, the People’s Defense Forces (HPG), has released a statement in which refuted the Turkish General Staff statement that the helicopter crushed as a result of an accident.