Turkey: 30 killed in clashes between troops, Kurdish rebels
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ANKARA - Clashes between Turkish security force members and Kurdish militants in two mainly Kurdish provinces in southeastern Turkey on Thursday killed eight security force members and 22 militants, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
A skirmish erupted near the town of Semdinli, in the province of Hakkari that borders Iraq, after the security forces spotted a group of rebels who were allegedly preparing to launch an attack, the military said. Six soldiers and two government-paid village guards aiding troops in the fight against the rebels were killed in the fighting.
Erdogan announced in a speech in Ankara that 17 rebels were also killed in the clash, which he said was continuing.
Separately, five rebels were killed in a clash in the province of Tunceli, the president said.
