12 Turkish soldiers have been killed over 2 days in clashes with Kurdish militants, authorities say

ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) — Six Turkish soldiers have been killed in clashes with Kurdish militants in northern Iraq, a day after another six were also killed. Turkish Defense Ministry said the six soldiers slain on Saturday died in a firefight when militants attempted to infiltrate a Turkish base. The statement said 13 militants had been “neutralized.” In addition to the six Turkish soldiers killed on Friday, four militants were slain. Turkey conducts operations and airstrikes against targets in Syria and Iraq that it believes to be affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, a banned Kurdish separatist group that has waged an insurgency against Turkey since the 1980s.