A military offensive against the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in south-eastern Turkey left 10 soldiers and eight PKK fighters dead over three days, Turkish media reported Monday, according to dpa. Six soldiers and one paramilitary village guard were killed during clashes in the provinces of Sirnak and Bingol while three soldiers were killed in a mine explosion in the eastern province of Bitlis. The PKK, which Turkey classifies as a terrorist organization, announced a unilateral ceasefire last autumn. Since the beginning of spring the Turkish army has strengthened its positions on the border with Iraq to prevent the infiltration of Kurdish rebels from there. The PKK maintains training camps and bases in northern Iraq.
