On May 23 the Turkish Army reported its troops had killed 15 PKK Kurdish rebels in a fight in Bingol. One of the rebels reportedly slain was a PKK province commander. The May 23 report followed several earlier reports (on May 20) which indicated a major operation was taking place. The guerrillas were killed in a series of clashes. The Turkish ground troops were supported by air strikes. One Turk soldier was reportedly killed..