15 killed in clashes with Turkish military

ANKARA - At least 15 members of the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) were killed in a military operation by the Turkish security forces in Southeast Turkey on the Iraq border on Sunday following a landmine blast that killed one Turkish soldier, local newspaper Today's Zaman reported on Monday.

In the two-day military operation, the Turkish security forces, backed by military helicopters, clashed with the PKK militants in Daglica neighborhood of Yuksekova town of Hakkari province, said the report.  

The security forces destroyed four PKK targets in Kamisli village and in its vicinity during the operation, according to the report.

The clashes followed a landmine blast that killed one Turkish soldier and injured two others on Saturday.  

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, took up arms in 1984 in an attempt to create an ethnic homeland in southeastern Turkey. Since then, over 40,000 people have been killed in conflicts involving the group.