"We have lost one soldier and have 11 wounded in two separate blasts caused by remotely operated mines," Izmir governor Cahit Kirac told Anatolia following an inspection in the now sealed-off area.

The military vehicle was hit by an initial explosion before the assailants opened fire on the troops, who were on their way to a military post located in the tourist town of Foca in Izmir.

A second explosion followed the clash, according to the private NTV news channel, which previously announced the number of wounded at seven. Four more troops are believed to have been wounded in the second explosion.

The identity of the assailants was not immediately clear, but Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the attack was "another sign that terror was taking steps to spread."

The premier was referring to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been waging war for autonomy in Turkey's Kurdish dominated southeast, carrying out fitful attacks against Turkish security forces based there.

Witnesses interviewed by NTV said they saw three or four people speeding away in a car after the assault. A ground and air search was launched to capture the attackers, according to governor Kirac.

Thursday's attack comes after 22 people were killed Sunday in a deadly clash in the country's southeast, a frequent scene of clashes between Kurdish rebels and Turkish security forces.

A series of similar assaults against troops in the southeast prompted the army to launch an all-out offensive against PKK bases in the area last month.

The PKK, considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey and much of the international community, took up arms in the southeast in 1984, sparking a conflict that has claimed some 45,000 lives.