Soldiers killed as Turkish unit attacked

ANKARA, Turkey, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- Gunmen opened fire on a military unit in northern Turkey Monday, killing seven soldiers and wounding four more in what authorities described as an ambush.

The soldiers were patrolling a nearby military outpost in mountainous Tokat province during foggy weather when they were attacked, BBC News reported.

The injured, two seriously, were taken to area hospitals, CNNTurk reported.

Although both Kurdish and leftist militants reportedly are active in the area of the attack, there were no immediate reports on who was responsible for the shooting,

Previously, the banned Kurdistan Workers Party has attacked military targets and extreme leftist groups in northern Turkey are suspected to have signed mutual aid agreements with them, the BBC said.

The assault happened prior to Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's meeting with President Barack Obama in Washington with Kurdish rights possibly on the agenda.