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Turkish security forces kill 20 PKK fighters in southeast

19 October 2012 04:41 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Turkish security forces have killed at least 20 members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the southeastern Turkey province of Hakkari, APA reports quoting Press TV.

The PKK fighters were killed in Kazan Valley near the border with Iraq on Thursday, English-language Turkish daily Todayâ€™s Zaman reported.

On the same day, Turkish troops found and defused a high-intensity remotely-controlled bomb on a highway on the outskirts of the eastern town of Bitlis.

On Wednesday, three government forces were killed in fighting between the Turkish Army and members of the PKK in the southeastern border area.

Clashes between Turkish troops and members of the armed group have intensified in recent months.

The PKK has been fighting for an autonomous Kurdish region inside Turkey since the 1980s. The conflict has left tens of thousands of people dead.