Two Turkish soldiers were killed and one wounded in a firefight with Kurdish separatists late Wednesday night, the Dogan news agency reported on Thursday, according to DPA. The soldiers were patrolling a region in the Kato mountains in the south-eastern province of Sirnak when they came under fire at around 10 pm (1900 GMT) from Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) guerrillas. Special forces were airlifted to the region but the PKK separatists escaped in the darkness, Dogan reported. Clashes between the Turkish army and the PKK have been sporadic since the Turkish army launched a week-long cross-border incursion into northern Iraq in February in a bid to destroy PKK camps. According to the Turkish military, 240 PKK fighters, 24 Turkish soldiers and three village guards employed by Turkey were killed in that operation. Since the operation the Turkish Air Force has also launched a number of airstrikes against PKK positions in Iraq.
