Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast has been scorched by fighting between the state and members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

Turkey's military says Kurdish rebels have detonated an improvised explosive device as a military vehicle passed by, wounding 17 soldiers. A military statement said the attack occurred Monday near the town of Yusekova, in the mainly Kurdish province of Hakkari. The statement said the soldiers were quickly evacuated and hospitalized. Four of them were in serious condition. The Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, has waged a three-decade long insurgency in southeast Turkey.