Soldiers hurt in Kurdish rebel bomb attack

Kurdish rebels detonated a roadside bomb in Turkey today as two minibuses carrying army personnel passed, injuring 12 soldiers, reports claim.

The attack occurred near the town of Eruh in south-eastern Siirt province, according to reports.

Military helicopters ferried the injured to a local hospital as troops backed by helicopter gunships launched an operation to hunt down the rebels in the area, it added.

Kurdish rebels have killed about 80 soldiers since January, most in roadside bomb attacks on military vehicles.

Turkey has threatened to invade northern Iraq to eradicate rebel bases there if US or Iraqi forces do not crack down on the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK.

During a visit by Iraq’s prime minister to Ankara last week, Turkey and Iraq agreed to try to root out the rebels.

But Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki said the Iraqi parliament would have the final say on efforts to halt the guerrillas’ cross-border attacks into Turkey.

The guerrillas have been fighting for autonomy in south-east Turkey since 1984. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people.