2 Rebel Kurds killed in clash with army

Turkish troops shot and killed two members of a Kurdish rebel group in an exchange of fire in the north of the country, the Anatolia news agency said Tuesday. One rebel fighter killed by a patrol in Ordu province belonged to a group who launched an attack on supporters of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in May, the province's vice governor said, according to the state agency. The other rebel was killed in Ardahan province in northeast Turkey in a clash with military police forces, Anatolia said. Clashes between security forces and the PKK have increased since the elections. On June 16, 13 soldiers were killed in Diyarbakir province, the worst loss of life for the army since October 2008. Seven PKK rebels were also killed in the assault. The PKK, listed as a terrorist group by Turkey and much of the international community, took up arms in 1984, sparking a conflict that has claimed some 45,000 lives.