54 rebels killed, claims Turkish military

Ankara, Dec 18: The Turkish military has claimed to have killed 54 Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) rebels, state-media reported on Friday. Most of the killings were recorded in Cizre and the rest in Silopi, two major urban centres in the Kurdish province of Sirk, which has been under curfew for three days, Efe news quoted Adolu agency as saying. The military launched a major operation in the area, with about 10,000 troops. The PKK, considered by Turkey and the European Union as a terrorist group, began its armed struggle in 1984 for more Kurdish rights in the country. (IANS)