MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The incident occurred in the Muradiye district on late Saturday when PKK members attacked the motorcade of district’s head Ibrahim Vanli, the Anadolu news agency reported citing its sources.
Vanli’s nephew was killed in the attack. Local authorities launched a counterterrorist operation to capture the attackers.
The attack took place on the threshold of the Sunday referendum on constitutional changes, which, if adopted, will grant more powers to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Tensions between Ankara and Kurds escalated in July 2015 when a ceasefire between Ankara and the PKK collapsed because of a series of terror attacks allegedly committed by PKK members. The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization in Turkey, the United States and the European Union.