55 PKK militants, one soldier killed in three days in southeast

Security forces have killed 55 militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in operations in Turkey's southeastern districts over the past three days, while one soldier has been killed in clashes on Dec. 18, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

With the crackdown now on its sixth day, a Turkish soldier was killed in intense clashes with the PKK, the first fatality suffered by the Army in the operation, security sources told Agence France-Presse.

Specialized sergeant Serkan Has, 25, was killed in clashes as a military-imposed curfew entered its sixth day in two districts of the province of ??rnak. 

Some 49 militants were killed in S?rnak's Cizre district, while six were killed in its Silopi district in three days, Anadolu Agency said. 

Three PKK militants were apprehended alive, while 19 members of the Turkish security forces were injured in the clashes, it added.

The operation in the towns of Cizre and Silopi began on Dec. 14, with 25 militants killed in first two days. But the latest figure more than doubled the number of casualties, implying a heavy toll during yesterday's fighting inside the towns.

The vast operation, which is now in its fourth day and involves thousands of troops, is centered on two towns of the ??rnak province where the military has imposed blanket curfews.

Meanwhile, two civilians were killed in Cizre during the operations, Do?an News Agency reported.

On Dec. 16, a 45-year-old woman was killed during the clashes in Cizre while a curfew was imposed by the security forces. Hediye ?en, a mother of four, also died during clashes. ?en was laid to rest in Cizre's Damlaba?? village on Dec. 18. 

On Dec. 17, another civilian, 25-year-odl Do?an Aslan, was...