6 Turkish soldiers injured in mine blast

ANKARA - At least six soldiers of Turkish security forces were injured in a land mine explosion late Monday when a military vehicle stepped on it in southeastern Turkish province of Diyarbakir, local newspaper Today's Zaman reported on Tuesday.

The land mine, believed to be planted by members of the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), exploded when the military vehicle with nine soldiers drove over it from Hani town to Lice town in Diyarbakir, Diyarbakir Governor Mustafa Toprak was quoted as saying.

Toprak said six of them were slightly injured and they were taken to the hospital in Diyarbakir for treatment.

The Turkish security forces launched a large-scale operation in the area following the incident.

Listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, the PKK took up arms in 1984 in an attempt to create an ethnic homeland in southeastern Turkey. Over 40,000 people have been killed in conflicts fuelled by PKK's separatist campaign in Turkey.