TUNCELI, Turkey, June 9 (Reuters) - Three members of the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) were killed in clashes with Turkish troops in eastern Turkey, while a soldier was killed by a mine near the Iraqi border, army sources said. The PKK guerrillas were killed in the eastern province of Tunceli late on Sunday and an operation against the rebels continued on Monday. Also late on Sunday, the sources said a Turkish soldier was killed when he stepped on a mine in Hakkari province, in the far southeast corner of Turkey, bordering on Iraq. Turkey's armed forces have stepped up a campaign against the PKK in recent months both at home and over the mountainous border in northern Iraq, which the rebels use as a base. In February the armed forces launched a land offensive into northern Iraq to fight the PKK, and have followed up with air strikes, most recently this weekend, according to information from the General Staff. (Writing by Emma Ross-Thomas; Editing by Charles Dick)
U.S. Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner, a Multi National Force - Iraq (MNF-I) spokesman, speaks to the media during a news conference at the International Zone in Baghdad June 4, 2008. REUTERS/Eduardo ...
