Islam Times - 17 Turkish soldiers killed in copter crash in southeast Turkey

Islam Times - At least 17 Turkish soldiers have been killed after their helicopter crashed in the southeastern part of the country, officials say.

The incident occurred on Saturday in the Pervari area of Siirt province, Ahmet Aydin the province’s governor said, adding that the troops were members of the country's gendarmerie special forces.

According to local sources, the Sikorsky helicopter crashed on Herekol mountain in the area due to bad weather conditions and there were no survivors on board.

In a similar accident on October 11, a Turkish military helicopter crashed in the southeastern province of Diyarbakir, killing one soldier and injuring seven others on board.

In recent months, Ankara has been conducting military operations in the southeast where it has been fighting against the members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

The PKK has been fighting for an autonomous Kurdish region inside Turkey since the 1980s. The conflict has left tens of thousands of people dead.