Turkish troops and Kurdish militants clashed in southeast Turkey Saturday in an escalation of violence which killed 10 soldiers and 12 rebels. The battle at Semdinli in Hakkari province, near the border with Iraq, re-kindled the conflict in the region and prompted the armed forces to hit Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targets. The PKK militants touched off the fighting with an attack on an army border unit and 14 soldiers were wounded. “Reinforcements were sent to the region and throughout the night support was provided to the conflict zone by attack helicopters and artillery.
