Turkish soldier killed, another injured in clashes with Kurdish rebels

One Turkish soldier was killed and another injured in a clash that erupted between members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and Turkish security forces in the eastern province of Tunceli on Friday. Turkey's daily Zaman reported on its website that a Turkish soldier was killed and another wounded in a gunfight between security forces and PKK rebels. Turkish soldiers have been clashing with the PKK for the past few days in the Pulumur district of Tunceli province. Two soldiers were also injured in clashes on Thursday as a large-scale military operation is under way in the region. The PKK has recently stepped up its attacks in Turkey's east and southeast. Two soldiers were shot dead by unknown assailants in the southeastern province of Hakkari on Tuesday. The attacks come in spite of a recent statement by jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, delivered through his lawyers, in which he said he had decided to prolong a unilateral cease-fire his group had declared last summer. The PKK refers to its cease-fire as a "non-attack" decision. Ocalan's lawyers also said he believes the continuation of the cease-fire will contribute to a democratic solution to the Kurdish issue. The PKK has been declared a terrorist organization by the international community, including the US and the EU.