The sources said 10 rebels were killed in the violence that broke out late Thursday in the province of Sirnak near the Iraqi border. The other casualty was a member of an anti-rebel militia supported by the Turkish authorities.

Since December, Turkey has stepped up military action against the separatist rebels of the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK), which is listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the European Union and the United States.

The PKK has been fighting for self-rule in Turkey's Kurdish-populated east and southeast since 1984. The conflict has claimed more than 37,000 lives.