Eleven killed in attack, clashes with Kurdish rebels in Turkey

Ankara, Sep 3 (AFP) Militants from the outlawed KurdistanWorkers’ Party (PKK) killed 10 Turkish soldiers and a villageguardsman in two separate incidents in Turkey, state mediareported today. Eight Turkish soldiers were killed during clashes withrebels in the eastern province of Van on Friday, thegovernor’s office said, quoted by state-run news agencyAnadolu. Eight soldiers were also injured in the same operationagainst the "separatist terror organisation", the name Turkeygives to the PKK, Anadolu reported. Late on Friday, two soldiers and a village guard werekilled in an attack on a checkpoint in Mardin in the restivesoutheast blamed on the PKK, the agency reported. The guard killed was part of a group of local residentswho cooperate with Turkish security forces against the PKK,listed as a terror group by Ankara and its Western allies.Three security guards were also wounded. In a statement, the Van governor’s office said thecondition of those in hospital was "good", although theirtreatment continued. Thirteen PKK fighters were killed by Turkish jets aroundTendurek mountains in Van province, the office said, whileAnadolu reported that the operation supported by the air forcecontinued. Since the collapse of a two-year ceasefire in July,Anadolu reported over 600 Turkish security force members havebeen killed by the PKK in renewed fighting. The government has responded with military operationsagainst the group, killing more than 7,000 militants in Turkeyand northern Iraq, the agency said. It is not possible toindependently verify the toll. Activists claim innocent civilians have also been killedin the offensives. More than 40,000 people have been killed since the PKKfirst took up arms in 1984. (AFP)UZM