UPDATE - Blast hits Turkish gendarmerie post in southeast

UPDATES CASUALTIES, AMENDS TIME OF ATTACK

By Sirac Karadeniz and Sarp Ozer

HAKKARI, Turkey (AA) - An explosives-laden vehicle was detonated outside a gendarmerie station in southeast Turkey on Sunday, martyring nine soldiers.

Following the attack at around 9.45 a.m. local time (0645GMT) in Semdinli, Hakkari province, the Turkish General Staff said nine soldiers were killed and 11 injured.

The statement also blamed the attack on the PKK terrorist organization. Hakkari province, which borders Iraq and Iran, has seen a large number of PKK attacks since the group resumed its armed campaign in July last year.

The blast occurred at a checkpoint in front of the gendarmerie outpost, which is around 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Semdinli town center.

The casualties were taken to nearby hospitals and an air and land operation was launched to hunt the terrorists.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and EU. Since it resumed its decades-old armed campaign, PKK terror attacks martyred more than 600 security personnel and claimed lives of many civilians including women and children while around 7,000 terrorists were killed in army operations.