Eighteen people were killed Sunday when a van packed with five tons of explosives blew up in Turkey’s restive southeast in an attack blamed on Kurdish militants, the prime minister said.

The bombing, which killed 10 soldiers and eight civilians, was one of the single deadliest attacks on the Turkish security forces since the attempted coup of July 15 when a rogue military faction tried to oust President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“The attack was perpetrated by a suicide bomber who detonated a van (packed) with five tons of explosives,” Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told a press conference in Istanbul.

Earlier reports put the toll at nine dead after the attack which targeted a security post in Hakkari province. The explosion occurred as security forces were searching vehicles in Semdinli district, the official news agency Anadolu said.

Another 26 people — 10 soldiers and 16 civilians — were injured in the blast which was blamed on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Anadolu said.

The blast left a gaping hole in the road which was 10-15 metres wide (33-49 foot) and up to seven meters (22 foot) deep, Anadolu said. It also caused major damage to the main gate of the security post.

Soon after the attack, the military confirmed it had begun a large-scale air operation.

Source: AFP