Battle In Southeast Turkey Kills 20

Kurdish rebel leader, Abdullah Ocalan

Reports from Turkey say 13 soldiers were killed and seven wounded in clashes with Kurdish rebels in the country's southeast on July 14.

The military said seven militants were also killed in the firefight near the town of Silvan which marked the worst clash since the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) ended a ceasefire in February.

The rebels of the PKK have been waging a campaign for autonomy in southeast Turkey since 1984 in which tens of thousands of people have been killed.

In May, the imprisoned PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan, warned that the group would unleash a "big war" by July 15 if Turkey refuses to negotiate an end to the conflict following national elections in June.

compiled from agency reports