Agence France-Presse,
ANKARA (AFP): The Turkish army Wednesday said it had killed 15 Kurdish rebels in clashes near the Iraqi border.
“It has been determined that 15 terrorists were rendered ineffective by helicopter gunships and other supporting fire,” a statement on the army's web site said.
It confirmed that three soldiers were also killed in the clashes that erupted Monday in the Cudi mountains in Sirnak province, which borders Iraq.
Tensions along the frontier rose after October 21 when militants from the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), who the army says sneaked in from northern Iraq, ambushed a military patrol, killing 12 soldiers and capturing another eight.
Since then, the military has confirmed killing 80 rebels in crackdowns on the separatist group in Turkish territory, including those announced Wednesday.
Exasperated by the safe haven it says the PKK enjoys in neighbouring northern Iraq, Ankara has threatened to launch a military operation against rebel bases there if Washington and Baghdad fail to take urgent measures.
