Seventeen Turkish soldiers were killed on Saturday when their helicopter crashed in southeastern Turkey due to bad weather conditions, the area's governor has said.
The Sikorsky helicopter crashed in heavy fog on Herekol mountain, in the Pervari area of Siirt province, according to Governor Ahmed Aydin.
The victims were members of special police forces.
The group was traveling to southeastern Turkey for military operations against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a militant group which has battled the Turkish government for decades, demanding more rights for Kurds, including autonomy in the mostly Kurdish southeast of the country.
Several days ago, Turkish media reported that soldiers were airlifted into northern Iraq for a brief operation against suspected rebels, who have bases there.
There were no reports of casualties on that mission.
Turkey periodically carries out artillery and air strikes on PKK positions in northern Iraq, but reports of cross-border incursions are rare.
Seventeen soldiers have died today as the result of a helicopter crash in Turkey's southeastern , Governor Ahmed Aydin has said. The provincial governor added that the fatalities belonged to Turkish special forces.

Investigations into the crash are ongoing, although Governor Ahmed Aydin has said the aircraft hit Herekol mountain as it travelled through heavy fog.

The soldiers were reportedly on their way to deployment against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).  The PKK seeks to increase rights for  and gain  in the southeast of Turkey, which is a predominantly Kurdish area. The  have been fighting with the PKK for decades.

Kurdish militants, though active in this part of Turkey, do not appear to have played any part in the crash.


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