Eight Turkish soldiers, 22 militants killed as violence widens in southeast
Eight Turkish soldiers and 22 Kurdish militants have been killed in clashes over the last two days, authorities said on Friday, as violence widened in the largely Kurdish southeast following two bombings.
After the collapse of a ceasefire between the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the government last July, Turkey's southeast has seen some of its worst fighting since the height of the Kurdish insurgency in the 1990s.
President Tayyip Erdogan has said the violence, and a concurrent threat from Islamic State militants, justifies Turkey's broad anti-terror laws, which have become a sticking point with the EU in talks about a landmark deal to stem the flow of illegal migrants to Europe.
"The fight by our security forces in coordination and in harmony with soldiers, police, village guards and all units against terror will continue with determination," Erdogan said in a statement.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-security-idUSKCN0Y40H0