'Turkey will rid itself of PKK terrorists'

Turkey will get rid of the PKK terrorist organization, Turkish Parliament Speaker Binali Yıldırım said on Thursday in the Aegean Izmir province.

Decrying Thursday's PKK terror attack which martyred seven Turkish and wounded two, Yıldırım told a ceremony ushering in the school year at Ege University that no trace of terror will be left in the country, as Turkey is determined on this.

Essentially, what the PKK is trying to do is fight Turkey's successful results in the war on terrorism, he said.

On Thursday in the southeastern Batman province, an improvised explosive planted by PKK terrorists detonated when an armored military vehicle passed through, martyring seven soldiers.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people, including women and children.