The battle took place in a rural area near the town of Guclukonak, in Sirnak province, which borders Iraq.

The army has been conducting operations in the region since December against rebels of the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Turkish warplanes have also periodically bombed PKK positions over the border in northern Iraq since mid-December, following parliamentary authorisation for cross-border military action.

In February, the army conducted a week-long first ground offensive against rebel hideouts in the region, where Ankara estimates more than 2,000 militants take refuge.

Listed as a terrorist group by Turkey and much of the international community, the PKK has been fighting for self-rule in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast since 1984. The conflict has claimed more than 37,000 lives.