Turkish army units had blocked off routes used by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) rebels to return to their bases in northern Iraq after carrying out attacks in Turkey, the report said.

The operation in the Yuksekova region of southeastern Turkey came a day after the Turkish army killed 15 PKK rebels and as Ankara geared up for crucial talks with the United States to tackle the crisis over the bases in Iraq.

The militants were killed in a large-scale operation in the mountainous eastern province of Tunceli as some 8,000 troops, backed by helicopter gunships, assaulted rebel positions.

The military has killed 65 rebels since a PKK ambush near the frontier a week ago left 12 soldiers dead.