Turkish troops killed three Maoist militants in eastern Turkey today.
Security officials said soldiers killed the three Maoist Communist Party-People's Liberation Army (MKP-HKO) rebels in a clash near the village of Gozeler in the province of Tunceli.
The army has mounted a large operation involving up to 10,000 troops, backed by helicopters throughout Tunceli province for the past week.
The operation is mainly aimed at separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebels active in the region, but small groups of Maoist militants also operate there.
Tunceli is covered by steep forested mountains riddled with caves and deep gorges, making it ideal territory for guerrillas to hide out and mount ambushes.
Clashes between rebels and security forces usually ease off during the winter months as most of the mountainous east and southeast is carpeted in deep snow.
The Maoist Communist Party and its military wing, the People's Liberation Army, say they are fighting for a "Marxist-Leninist-Maoist state" in Turkey and proletarian worldwide revolution.