The fighting took place on the outskirts of the town of Gabar, in Sirnak province, near the Iraqi border, a statement from the Sirnak government said.

The outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is classified as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the European Union and the United States.

At least 96 PKK militants and 66 members of the security forces have been killed in separatist violence this year, according to an AFP count.

The Kurdish conflict in Turkey has claimed more than 37,000 lives since 1984 when the PKK took up arms for Kurdish self-rule in the southeast.