ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Three Turkish soldiers and four Kurdish militants were killed on Saturday in clashes in the southeastern Hakkari province while Turkish gendarmerie launched helicopter-backed security operations elsewhere in the region, security sources said. Three Turkish soldiers were also wounded in the clashes in village of Agacdibi, around 20 kilometres south of Hakkari province bordering Iraq and Iran. An operation to capture the militants is underway, sources said. Southeastern Turkey has seen a surge in violence since the PKK, which has waged a three-decade insurgency for Kurdish autonomy in the region, abandoned a ceasefire in 2015. Thousands of militants, security force members and civilians have been killed in fighting across the region.

Source: The Star September 17, 2016 11:03 UTC