The United States has ordered the arrest of top members of the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Turkish armed forces Ilker Basbug said on Tuesday.

"There are a lot of things that can be done against a terrorist organization. Capture the leadership ... They've given direct orders to capture the leadership," Basbug was quoted by the semi- official Anatolia news agency as telling a news conference.

He said it is difficult to eradicate terrorism completely, but it should be reduced to a minimum level.

Citing figures about PKK militants after capture of its leader Abdullah Ocalan in 1999, Basbug said the number of militants in Turkey now stands at the minimum level of around 1,800-1,900.

There are 3,300-3,700 PKK militants in foreign countries, with most of them in northern Iraq, he said.

The PKK has launched a series of attacks in Turkey, using mines and remote-controlled explosives to target security forces, which have killed 105 soldiers.

Turkey has been asking the United States and Iraq to take actions against the group.

The PKK has been fighting a guerrilla war with Turkish forces since 1984.

After Ocalan's capture, violence was subdued significantly. But it has been on the rise since the group called off a unilateral ceasefire in 2004.

The Turkish government refuses to negotiate with the PKK, deeming it a terror organization.

Source: Xinhua