Hundreds of protesters oppose escalated tension in southern Turkey

Hundreds of people protested Monday near Turkey's southern border against escalated tension resulted from clashes between the army and militants at a security post construction site, local media reported.

Earlier Monday, the Kurdish Workers' Party militants from across the border in Iraq opened fire on the Turkish security forces when their vehicles arrived at the site in Uludere of Sirnak province, Today's Zaman reported.

The security forces immediately fired back on the militants, who were against the construction of the security post, the report said.

The rising tensions spawned worries and anger among local villagers, who marched to the border to hold a rally against further conflicts between the two sides, it added.

In January, clashes erupted between villagers and Turkish security forces near Uludere over the construction of a new road leading to the planned security post, leaving several vehicles burned and some villagers injured.