Officials said that 7 soldiers were killed after a military vehicle was attacked during a patrol near the town of Resadiye in Tokat province on Monday.
The attack came in evening hours near a military outpost. Authorities said that 3 other soldiers, one in critical condition, were wounded in the ambush.
Moments after the attack, President Abdullah Gül called Tokat Governor Serif Yilmaz for information about the incident. President expressed deep grief over the attack and passed condolences to the governor.
Reportedly, the Governor Yilmaz confirmed that the vehicle came under fire in foggy weather.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan who is paying a formal visit to America called Interior Minister Besir Atalay about the incident.
Soon after the attack, the Turkish General Staff made a press release confirming that a military vehicle was attacked in the vicinity of Sazak during a routine patrol of the area. The press release said that 7 security staff were killed and 3 others were wounded.
The wounded soldiers were taken to state hospitals in Tokat and Resadiye, said the official release, adding that reinforcements were sent to the region and operations are under way.