The meeting, chaired by President Abdullah Gul at the presidential palace, brings together Chief of General Staff Yasar Buyukanit, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, several cabinet ministers, ranking military commanders, the head of the Turkish intelligence agency and police force.

The meeting comes against the backdrop of an ongoing battle between the Turkish army and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) trggered by a rebel ambush early Sunday in a mountainous region in the southeastern province of Hakkari.

Sixteen soldiers were also injured in the fighting, the army said.