Turkey says it regrets civilian Kurd death

ISTANBUL, Turkey, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Turkey is investigating the deaths of 35 Kurdish civilians in a Turkish air strike near the border with Iraq, officials said.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul the incident was "unfortunate and saddening," the BBC reported Friday. He told reporters surveillance footage of the air raid is being examined, Hurriyet Daily News said Friday.

The military said it is investigating the attack near the village of Uludere in Sirnak province in southeastern Turkey that had targeted suspected Kurdish militants. The victims turned out to be smugglers, not rebels, the BBC said.

The pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party said the victims were civilians aged between 16 and 20.

Turkey said the raid was launched following information that suspected militants were planning to attack Turkish security bases.