Thirty rebels killed by Turks near Iraq border

Photo: Thirty rebels killed by Turks near Iraq border

Thirty Kurdish rebels allegedly preparing to attack a military unit near the border with Iraq were killed by Turkish troops.

The clashes took place on Tuesday, the military said. The report increased the number of rebels killed since Sunday to at least 64, according to military figures.

The military said it had spotted a "crowded group of terrorists" near a military outpost in the province of Semdinli close to the border with Iraq and fired on them with tanks and artillery units and other heavy weaponry. It said the group was preparing for an attack.

In a statement posted on its Web site, the military said the troops kept firing on the group as they escaped toward the Iraqi territory.

The military estimated the rebel death toll according to intelligence reports, the statement said.