Turkey: 13 killed in clashes between troops, Kurdish rebels
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Turkey's military says eight Turkish security force members and five Kurdish militants were killed in a clash near Turkey's border with northern Iraq.
A military statement said the skirmish erupted early on Thursday near the town of Semdinli, after the security forces spotted a group of rebels who were allegedly preparing to launch an attack.
The military said the dead included two government-paid village guard aiding troops in the fight against the rebels. Two soldiers were also hurt in the clashes.
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The clashes were continuing.
The rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, have waged a three-decade long insurgency in southeast Turkey. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people.
Violence flared again in 2015 after the collapse of a two-year peace process.