Turkish military and PKK militants clash

GlobalPost

The People's Defense Forces, an armed wing of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), claimed on Thursday to have attacked two Turkish military posts and killed one soldier, breaking a three-month ceasefire agreement.

The government denied militant reports that a soldier had died in the assaults on two districts in Diyarbakir province, according to Reuters, who spoke to the provincial governor's office.

The PKK released a statement saying it had killed a government soldier in Hani because last week an 18-year-old Kurdish man was reportedly shot dead by security forces during a protest against the building of a military post in Diyarbakir province.

In March, the jailed PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan, had called for a ceasefire as part of a peace process with the Turkish government.

"The statement I am preparing will be a historical call," Ocalan said. "We want to rapidly solve the arms problem without losing time or another life."

In May, some PKK fighters began to pull back from Turkey into Iraq. It's unclear what effect the incident will have the ceasefire agreement.  

The PKK, considered a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union and Turkey, attempted to establish a Kurdish State in 1984, but later settled for its current goal of autonomy. 

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