Kurdish Rebels Kill Turkish Official and Guide

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, July 23 (Reuters) - Kurdish rebels killed a Turkish gendarmerie officer 
and a former rebel guide in fighting in the east of the country at the weekend, security officials 
said on Monday. 

They said the gendarme and his guide, a former Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) guerrilla, came 
under fire from PKK rebels during a patrol of the Alacakaya region of the province of Elazig.
Security forces had stepped up operations in the area to isolate the group of rebels, the sources said. 

Fighting between Turkish forces and the PKK has decreased dramatically since Turkey captured
PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan and he ordered his forces to abandon the armed struggle and fight for
Kurdish rights through political means. 

Turkey does not recognise the rebel ceasefire and has said it will kill any PKK fighters who do not 
surrender to the authorities.
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