Turkish soldier killed by Kurdish rebels

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, Oct 6 (Reuters) One Turkish soldier was killed in the southeastern province of Van when Kurdish separatists opened fire on military headquarters, security forces said today.

The attack comes a week after members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) ambushed a minibus in the troubled region and killed twelve of the passengers. Three Kurdish rebels were killed earlier this week in firefights.

Turkey is trying to clamp down on rebel insurgents ahead of harsh winter conditions that brings most PKK movement in the area to a halt.

Last month Turkey signed an anti-terror agreement with Baghdad aimed at stopping attacks from Iraq's Kurdish-controlled northern province bordering Turkey, where Kurdish rebels are based.

Turkey blames the PKK for over 30,000 deaths since fighting started in 1984, when the outlawed group started fighting for an ethnic homeland in Turkey's southeast.

REUTERS SKB PM1502