ANKARA, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Turkish security forces killed two militants of the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) in separate operations conducted in the eastern province of Tunceli on Friday.

    According to the semi-official Anatolia news agency, one PKK militant was killed in a clash with security members in Tunceli, while another was killed earlier in the day near Baylik village also in the province.

    One security officer was also slightly injured during an operation in the region.

    The operations came one day after Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a two-hour closed door meeting with Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit on the threat stemming from the PKK.

    After the meeting, Erdogan delivered a live broadcast speech on the Turkish news channel TGRT on Thursday evening, saying that "Turkey must get rid of the terrorist problem as soon as possible."

    The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, increased its attacks on Turkish forces in recent months, leading to Turkey's demand for cross-border chase into Iraqi territories.

    The PKK launched an armed campaign for an ethnic homeland in the mainly Kurdish southeastern Turkey in 1984, sparking decades of strife that has claimed more than 30,000 lives.