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Turkish army kills three Kurdish rebels

ANKARA, June 19, 2007 (AFP) - Turkish soldiers have killed three separatist Kurdish rebels in a security crackdown in the eastern province of Erzincan, officials said Tuesday.

The operation was launched late Monday after suspected militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) opened fire on a military patrol vehicle, wounding four soldiers, Erzincan Governor Ali Gungor said.

Two other PKK militants were captured in the operation, he told Turkey's domestic Anatolia news agency.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist group by Ankara and much of the international community, has notably stepped up its attacks this year.

The army has launched a large-scale crackdown against the group in the east and southeast of the country and amassed troops on the border with Iraq, where the militants take refuge.

The PKK took up arms for self-rule in the Kurdish-majority southeast in 1984. The conflict has claimed more than 37,000 lives.