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12 PKK militants killed in SE Turkey

01 July 2010 21:24 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Twelve Kurdish militants have been killed in clashes between Turkish security forces and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in southeastern Turkey, APA reports quoting presstv.ir website.

The fighting broke out on Wednesday night in Siirt province when the Kurdish militants attacked a military unit, the military said on Thursday.

Earlier on Thursday, Reuters had reported that four members of Turkish security forces were also killed in the gun-battle near the town of Pervari in the in the mostly Kurdish region

The PKK forces launch their attacks from the Qandil Mountains in the areas under the control of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region â€” the mountain range where Israel and its firms are known to operate.

The Turkish military says around 4,000 militants are based just across the border in Iraq and about 2,500 others operate inside Turkey.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist group by Turkey and much of the international community, took up arms in 1984, sparking a conflict that has claimed some 45,000 lives.

Over 40 Turkish soldiers have been killed in PKK attacks over the past few months.