text: Three dead in Kurd militia blood feud in Turkey. DIYARBAKIR, Turkey 1996-12-06 
   Three people were killed on Friday in a gun battle between rival groups of anti-guerrilla militiamen on the streets of this southeastern Turkish city, police said. Four others were wounded in the clash, caused by a blood feud between two families, the Kesers and Karabuluts, serving as state-paid village guards against Kurdish rebels. Police said the guards fired automatic weapons at each other. One of the dead was a civilian passer-by. The role of the 70, 000 mainly Kurdish village guards who fight Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) guerrillas in the southeast has been questioned recently after media allegations that many of them are involved in common crime. The head of the region's main pro-state militia is at the centre of a security scandal that has shaken the government. More than 21, 000 people have been killed in the 12-year-old conflict between Turkish security forces and the PKK, fighting for Kurdish autonomy or independence.
competitors: Kurd Turkey DIYARBAKIR Turkey Turkish Kesers Karabuluts Kurdish Kurdish Kurdistan Workers Party PKK Turkish PKK Kurdish