8 Turkish soldiers dead in clash with PKK, helicopter crash

Clashes broke out early Friday with rebels of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, near the town of Cukurca, in Hakkari province, killing six soldiers, a military statement said.

A military helicopter sent to the area to support the soldiers later crashed, killing its two pilots, the military said, adding that the crash was due to a technical fault.

PKK-linked rebels have staged multiple bomb attacks against Turkish police and troops, which in turn have carried out tank-backed security operations in flash point areas.

The U.N. Committee against Torture on Friday expressed serious concerns over law enforcement officers’ conduct during the renewed fight against Kurdish militants, including allegations of torture and ill-treatment of detainees and reports of extrajudicial killings.

Separately, the U.N. human rights body welcomed an invitation by Turkey’s Foreign Ministry for U.N. investigators to probe alleged violations committed by the security forces in their campaign against the rebels, but sought assurances that the mission would be granted “full and unhindered access.”