(Adds background) TUNCELI, Turkey, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Turkish troops killed 10 separatist Kurdish guerrillas on Sunday in clashes in Bingol province, in the southeast, army officials said. The clashes were continuing in eastern Turkey with the rebels of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) despite heavy winter conditions and snow, the officials said, adding their soldiers had suffered no casualties. Violence tends to subside in winter months when guerrillas and army troops have difficulty operating in the harsh climate. Ankara blames the PKK for the death of more than 40,000 people since 1984 when the group launched its armed struggle for an ethnic homeland in southeast Turkey. Turkey has boosted the number of its troops on the Iraqi border to prevent PKK rebels crossing over to attack Turkish military and civilian targets. In recent months the army has also bombed PKK targets several times in northern Iraq in cross-border operations. (Editing by Matthew Jones)
Secular protesters, wearing black chadors, attend a demonstration against the government in Izmir February 2, 2008. Secular Turks rallied on Saturday against a plan by the government to allow women students ...
