17 dead in Turkey clash

ISTANBUL - Two Turkish soldiers and three members of a government-supported militia were killed in an attack by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, Turkey’s military said Thursday.

The military in a statement also said that 12 PKK members were also killed in the clash.

The incident took place late Wednesday in a rural area in the eastern province of Siirt. The clash took place when members of the PKK tried to attack a military outpost, the statement said.

There has been a marked increase in clashes between the PKK and Turkish security forces in recent months. Some 20 Turkish soldiers have been killed in the recent attacks.

An offshoot of the PKK has also been blamed for a the bombing last week of a military bus in Istanbul which left six dead.

The PKK is considered a terrorist organisation by the US and the European Union. The group had previously called for the creation of an independent Kurdish state but now says it is fighting for increased political and cultural rights for Turkey’s Kurdish minority.