Turkish soldiers killed in blast

11/08/2008| IslamWeb

At least seven Turkish soldiers have been killed in an explosion in the east of the country, Turkish media report.

The private Dogan news agency said a roadside bomb went off as a military vehicle was passing by in the province of Erzincan.

Four soldiers were also injured in the blast, reports said.

Fighting between Turkish soldiers and PKK rebels in eastern and south-eastern Turkey and northern Iraq has escalated in recent months.

Last month, Turkish jets attacked a PKK (Kurdish Workers Party) base in northern Iraq, killing an unknown number of fighters.

The air strike came shortly after the government blamed the PKK, which wants an independent Kurdish state in south-east Turkey, for a twin bombing in Istanbul which left 17 dead.

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Turkish soldiers

BBC