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DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Police
stepped up security in Turkey's southeast on Monday
amid heightened Kurdish guerrilla activity and the
21st anniversary of the start of a bloody insurgency
there, security sources said.
Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebels have increased
attacks on military and official targets in recent
months, rekindling a conflict that has cost more
than 30,000 lives.
A powerful bomb exploded outside a local government
building overnight in Sirnak province near the Iraqi
border. The bomb, triggered by a timer, caused
considerable damage but no casualties, the sources
said.
Security forces were closely monitoring road
entrances to towns and carrying out identity checks,
tightening security around official buildings.
Police leave in the mainly Kurdish southeast has
been cancelled.
On Aug. 15, 1984, PKK rebels launched two attacks in
the districts of Eruh and Semdinli, near the border
with Iraq, signalling the start of their insurgency.
Separatist violence dwindled after the 1999 capture
and conviction of rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan but
the conflict has flared up since the rebels called
off a six-year-old unilateral ceasefire last year.
Over the weekend, police detained four guerrillas
along with 4 kg (9 lb) of explosives and electric
fuses in southeastern Batman province, local
officials said.
Groups linked with the PKK have also attacked
tourist sites in western Turkey, beyond the
guerrillas' traditional sphere of operations. Five
people were killed by a bomb last month in the
Aegean Sea resort of Kusadasi.
Reuters
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