Eight Turkish soldiers have been
killed in a bomb attack in the south-eastern province of Siirt, the army says.
The bomb exploded on a highway as a
military vehicle was passing. Seven more soldiers were wounded.
No-one said they carried out the
attack, but the army blamed it on Kurdish PKK militants.
Four troops died in gun battles with
the PKK in Diyarbakir province. The attacks come amid a wave of violence after
a two-year truce failed.
Separately, two people have been
arrested after gunfire was heard outside Istanbul's iconic Dolmabahce Palace,
which houses offices of the prime minister.
One policeman was slightly injured
in the attack and a third suspect is being sought, the Turkish Anadolu news
agency reported.
A statement from the Istanbul
governor's office said the attackers were from a "terrorist group"
and that they had previously carried out an attack on the Istanbul HQ of the
ruling AK party on 8 August.
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was
in Ankara at the time of the attack.
The Dolmabahce Palace is a major
tourists attraction
The palace, in the Besiktas district
on the European side of Istanbul, was the main administrative centre of the
Ottoman Empire for many years in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
The founder of modern Turkey,
Mustapha Kemal Ataturk, died there in 1938, and the palace is now a major
tourist attraction.
A man suspected of belonging to the
banned leftist group DHKP-C was arrested in January after attacking guards
outside the palace.
Turkey has been on high alert since
launching a two-pronged air campaign against the Islamic State group in Syria
and PKK bases in northern Iraq last month.
BBC
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