Turkish security forces kill 2 PKK militants

Turkish security forces killed two members of the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) in eastern Turkey on Sunday, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.

Tunceli Governor's Office was quoted as saying that during a clash between Turkish soldiers and PKK militants in Bozagakaraderbent village of Pulumur town in Tunceli, two PKK members were killed.

The PKK took up arms against Ankara for Kurdish independence in southeastern Turkey in 1984 and its conflicts with government forces have reportedly claimed some 37,000 lives since then.

The guerrilla group declared a unilateral ceasefire in 1999 in the wake of capture of its leader Abdullah Ocalan, but called off it in June 2004.

Over the past few months, PKK militants have launched a series of landmine and remote-controlled bomb attacks in Turkey from northern Iraqi mountains where they have taken refuge.

The Turkish government, which refuses to negotiate with the group and deems it a terror organization, has threatened to launch cross-border operations against PKK militants.

Source: Xinhua