ANKARA, Turkey — Kurdish rebels launched a rocket attack on a military vehicle near naval base in southern Turkey early Monday, killing six soldiers and wounding seven, the military said.
The rebels fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the vehicle carrying soldiers to a naval logistics base in the Mediterranean port of Iskenderun, officials said.
Three of the wounded were in serious condition, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said.
It was the largest attack by the rebels in recent weeks and came after imprisoned Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan announced that he would abandon efforts to seek dialogue with Turkey starting Monday, accusing the government of ignoring his calls for peace.
Soldiers at the base responded with gunfire, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported, but it was not clear if any of the assailants were hurt.
The military launched a wider operation to catch the rebels, blocking escape routes near the base, the agency reported.
