Fighting between Turkish forces, Kurdish rebels kills 43

ISTANBUL >> Authorities say fighting between Turkish forces and Kurdish rebels in the restive southeast of the country has killed eight Turkish soldiers and 35 Kurdish fighters.

The office of Turkey’s General Staff headquarters said Saturday the eight soldiers were killed in a clash Friday afteoon with Kurdish militants at a checkpoint in the southeaste Hakkari province. A subsequent operation against the Kurdish rebels left eight Kurds dead, the military said.

Separately, a further 27 fighters from the Kurdish Workers’ Party, or PKK, were killed in the same province when Turkish troops launched an air-and-ground operation against groups of PKK fighters attempting to infiltrate an area early Saturday, the state-run Anadolu news agency said, quoting the military.

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