Four of the rebels were killed in clashes in Sirnak province bordering Iraq, the source said.

Also Monday, security forces in Diyarbakir killed a driver in a clash that broke out after they halted his vehicle and found 125 kilogrammes (275 pounds) of explosives in it.

Clashes between the Turkish army and the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) have intensified in recent months.

In October, Turkey launched an air and land offensive against the Kurdish separatists both in the southeast as well as in northern Iraq after 24 soldiers were killed in an ambush.

Turkey regards the PKK as a terrorist organisation, as does the European Union and United States.