Six Turkish soldiers killed in Kurdish rebel attack

Separatist Kurdish rebels attacked a Turkish military unit near the Iraqi border, killing six soldiers in one of their bloodiest assaults this year, officials said Tuesday. The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants, armed with rockets and assault rifles, launched the attack overnight, near the border town of Cukurca, targeting a military unit stationed there as reinforcement after a significant escalation of rebel violence since June, military sources said. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that six soldiers were killed and 15 wounded in the ensuing clashes, adding that a PKK rebel was shot dead by security forces. "We will pursue our struggle against terrorism with determination. We will continue fearlessly and tirelessly. We will not take even one small step back," he said. An operation was underway Tuesday to catch the assailants after the army deployed reinforcements, backed by air cover, the military source said.