ANKARA, August 8, 2008 (AFP) - Separatist Kurdish rebels have claimed responsibility for a blast in eastern Turkey that cut oil flow through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, according to an agency close to the rebels.

The separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) said the explosion was 'an act of sabotage' by its militants, details of which would be revealed later, according to the report, seen on the website of the Firat news agency.