The kidnapping took place near Lice town on Saturday evening.

“Vehicles of a sergeant major, a specialized sergeant and a health officer were found in the region,” Governor Mustafa Toprak said. A search, backed by air support, has been launched, according to Firat news agency.

On Friday, Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), issued a statement through his lawyers saying that he had agreed with Turkish officials to set up a “peace council” aimed at ending a separatist conflict that has lasted 27 years.

More than 40,000 people have been killed in that time, though in recent years the scale of violence has come down significantly.

The PKK ended a 6-month cease-fire in February, moving to what it calls an “active defense” stance, whereby its fighters defend themselves if threatened.

Ocalan had warned in May of a “war” unless the Turkish state began serious negotiations after a parliamentary election that took place on June 12 and returned Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan to power for a third consecutive term.

Erdogan has pledged to contine with reforms aimed at bridging rifts with Turkey’s 15 million Kurds, who account for 20 percent of the population.