On June 7 the Turkish Army reported its troops killed five PKK guerrillas in action in Hakkari province. The report said a Turkish Army patrol ran into a guerrilla unit. Interestingly, the report said the PKK force was of Syrian origin. In the past Syria has provided logistical, training, and and intelligence support to the PKK. On June 9, the Turkish government said that it would start a new land mine clearing operation in Kurdish areas. The Turk report said that 300,000 hectares would be inspected and cleared.