Turkish troops kill 21 rebels

Turkish troops killed 21 Kurdish rebels overnight in south-eastern Turkey - the biggest clash since the rebels declared a unilateral truce more than five years ago, a governor’s office said today.

Turkish troops suffered three losses during the clash near the town of Pervari, in Siirt province, the governor’s office in Sirnak province said in a statement.

Private CNN-Turk television said earlier that Turkish troops had been pursuing rebels believed to have infiltrated into Turkey from neighbouring Iraq during the past week, and that the clash erupted overnight.

Among the Turkish troops killed were a lieutenant and two sergeants, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.