Eleven outlawed PKK separatists were killed on Tuesday in clashes with Turkish army in an eastern province of Turkey. The army has launched a major operation against PKK after a group of separatists attack a gendarme post on Friday.

- 13 / 05 / 2008 11:32

Eleven outlawed PKK separatists were killed on Tuesday in clashes with Turkish army in an eastern province of Turkey.

The army has launched a major operation against PKK after a group of separatists attack a gendarme post on Friday.

Eleven outlawed PKK separatists were killed on Tuesday by Turkish army in the clashes that occurred in Hakkari province of Turkey after Friday's attack on Turkish gendarme headquarters, the Dogan News Agency reported.

The PKK had attacked an outpost in the southeastern province of Hakkari on late Friday and six soldiers had been killed in clashes.

Nineteen outlawed PKK separatists had also been killed during the clashes. According to the official statements of Turkish army more than 1,500 PKK terrorists had been killed in the last 18 months.

Turkish warplanes and artillery also attacked against terrorist organization PKK positions in northern Iraq on Saturday following the attack on the outpost.

Turkey has stepped up military action against the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist group by much of the international community including the EU and the U.S., since December, carrying out several air strikes and a week-long ground incursion into northern Iraq in February, where it says more than 2,000 PKK separatists take refuge.

Hurriyet