Diyarbakir - Turkish security officials denied claims yesterday by Kurdish rebels that they had shot down a Turkish military helicopter in the south-east of the country, killing 20 soldiers.
The German-based DEM news agency said guerrillas loyal to the captured Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader, Mr Abdullah Ocalan, shot down the Sikorsky helicopter on Friday over mountains in Hakkari province, near the border with Iraq and Iran.