5 PKK militants killed in Turkey's southeast

ANKARA - Agence France-Presse

Turkish Armed Forces photo

Five militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party were killed today in a clash with Turkish security forces in the southeastern Bitlis province. 

The five militants, two of them women, were killed in Tatvan district in Bitlis, a day after a similar clash in neighboring Siirt province left two militants dead.

Fighting usually escalates in spring as snow melts along the mountainous Iraqi-Turkish border, enabling PKK militants holed up in rough terrain to launch attacks more easily.

The PKK is recognized as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.