Some 91 Turkish soldiers were killed in attacks of the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) in the first seven months this year, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported on Sunday.

The figure was given by Turkish Foreign Ministry security official Hayati Guven at an international conference on fight against terrorism organized by Turkish Police Research Institute in Washington, according to Anatolia.

Guven was quoted as saying that there are 91 security personnel who died in PKK attacks in the first seven months of 2006, with 25 in July alone.

He added that the number of security personnel who died in attacks of the PKK terrorist organization was six in 2002, 21 in 2003, 73 in 2004 and 97 in 2005.

Meanwhile, the number of civilians who died in PKK attacks was 45 in 2002, 44 in 2003, 144 in 2004, 274 in 2005 and 472 in the first seven months of 2006.

Turkey wanted the terror camps in northern Iraq to be closed down and heads of the PKK organization to be captured and logistic support to the terrorist organization to be ended, urged Guven.

Stating that terrorist organization was acting free in northern Iraq, Guven indicated, "Turkey briefed the U.S. about the matter, but no concrete action has been taken so far."

Guven said that Turkey welcomed appointment of Joseph Ralston as U.S. Special Envoy for Countering the terrorist organization PKK, indicating that Turkey expected a new meeting of trilateral mechanism among Turkey, the U.S. and Iraq to be held in the coming days.

The PKK, which was listed as a terrorist organization by Ankara as well as the United States and the European Union, launched an armed campaign for an ethnic homeland in the mainly Kurdish southeastern Turkey in 1984, sparking a strife that has claimed more than 30,000 lives.

Source: Xinhua