Bomb-sniffing dog Elma (Apple) saved the day for Turkey on Tuesday when it discovered 100 kilograms of explosives buried deep in the ground in southeastern Mardin province that was destined to hit an oil pipeline, gendarmerie sources said.
Elma discovered the bomb in the province's Nusaybin district. The explosives were packed inside two shell-like containers attached to a 400-meter long cable cords and detonators.
Turkish gendarmerie forces believe the explosives belonged to the PKK terrorist group that wanted to hit the Kirkuk-Yumurtalık oil pipeline in the province.
Gendarmerie forces in the area have launched a search in the area to nab the suspects involved in the case.
In August, a Turkish soldier was killed and four others wounded when a landmine hit their patrol around the Kirkuk-Yumurtalık oil pipeline in Mardin.
Renewed violence in Turkey has come in the wake of the July 20 Suruç bombing which was allegedly carried out by Daesh and left dozens of people dead. The subsequent PKK-linked murder of two Turkish police officers at their home sparked a new wave of conflict in the country.
The Turkish government has intensified its counterterror operations following the recent attacks carried out by the PKK, which is recognized as a terrorist organization by the U.S., the EU and Turkey.
Formed in 1978, the terrorist group has been fighting the Turkish government for an independent state until the early 2000's. The group then shifted its goal to autonomy in predominately Kurdish inhabited regions of Turkey.
