They were the first fatal casualties in the Turkish army since the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) declared a unilateral truce on October 1.

A lieutenant and a private were killed in the blast at Cukurca, in southeastern Turkey near the border with Iraq, local security sources said.

Ankara dismissed the latest truce declaration by the PKK but fighting has noticeably diminished since then, though three rebels have been shot dead in clashes and two more soldiers wounded.