Turkish military kills 7 Kurdish rebels

TUNCELI, Turkey, Nov 17 (Reuters) Turkish forces killed seven Kurdish militants in clashes in eastern Turkey, security sources said today, with violence escalating more than a month after the rebel PKK declared a unilateral ceasefire.

One soldier was killed and five wounded in the eastern province of Tunceli today, and two soldiers were injured in the neighbouring province of Bingol late yesterday, security officials said.

Military operations continued today, with forces in Bingol, backed by army helicopters, searching for five Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebels.

The PKK, which began its armed struggle for a Kurdish homeland in 1984, declared a ceasefire on October 1, saying it would not carry out attacks but would defend itself if attacked.

Turkey's army and the government have widely dismissed the ceasefire and said they will continue to hunt guerrillas.

Turkish security forces killed three rebels earlier this week.

The 22-year-old conflict has killed more than 30,000 people, most of them Kurds. The PKK, considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, called off a previous ceasefire in 2004 after the government ignored it.

REUTERS PQM KP1838