Turkish military says 8 Kurdish rebels killed in southeast of country

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Eight Kurdish rebels were killed in a clash with troops in the southeastern Turkey, the country's military said Sunday. A military statement released Sunday said the rebels were killed in the same clash that also left five village guards dead near the Iraq border in Sirnak province. The clash on Saturday had been reported by Turkish media. The village guards are armed and paid by the government. Rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, have been fighting for self-rule in southeast Turkey since 1984. The fighting has killed tens of thousands of people.