Clashes With PKK In Southeastern Turkey Leave 14 Dead

Thirteen militants and one Turkish soldier have been killed in southeastern Turkey in clashes between security forces and Kurdish fighters.

According to Turkish military officials, four militants were killed when fighters from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) attacked 10 locations in Hakkari Province overnight.

Seven people were reported injured in that fighting.

Nine other militants died when Turkish troops discovered their winter camp in the mountains of Bingol Province.

According to the reports, the militants killed themselves with hand grenades to avoid capture. However, three of them -- two wounded -- were taken alive.

No independent confirmation of the Turkish statement was available.

The PKK -- which is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union -- has been fighting for self-rule in mainly Kurdish southeastern Turkey since 1984.

Compiled from agency reports