End of Turkish ceasefire marked by another 20 killed in fighting
The Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) announced that it has terminated the uneasy ceasefire, which had been in place in Turkey, after President Erdogan publicly declared he would "liquidate" all PKK fighters. In the four days since Sunday's elections, 40 people have been killed in sporadic fighting in Turkey's southeast; 20 of them yesterday. Meanwhile, Turkey has announced that it will soon start attacking ISIS targets in Syria.

Erdogan, who oversaw a peace process with the PKK that collapsed in July, vowed on Wednesday to continue battling the group until every last fighter was "liquidated."

Twenty people were killed in clashes with the military in the mainly Kurdish southeast on Thursday, bringing this week's death toll to more than 40. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the insurgency since it began in 1984.

The PKK's latest declaration, on top of the renewed surge in violence, was a fresh source of concern for foreign investors who broadly viewed Sunday's election as offering the potential for increased stability in NATO-member Turkey.

However, generally weaker Turkish financial markets showed little immediate reaction to the PKK move.

The PKK — designated a “terrorist group” by Turkey, the United States and the European Union — declared the cease-fire on Oct. 10, saying it wanted to avoid violence that might prevent a fair election. The government dismissed it as an electoral tactic.

On the day the cease-fire was announced, more than 100 people were killed in a double suicide bomb attack targeting pro-Kurdish activists in the capital Ankara, and the following day Turkey launched airstrikes against PKK fighters.

"It is clear that a fresh halt to hostilities can only be achieved with a new will for a solution of the Kurdish problem within the Turkish state and talks aimed at such solution," the PKK's statement said.

"We call on all the Kurdish people, the peoples of Turkey and democracy forces to step up their struggle."