The clash broke out on rural ground near the town of Alucra in the Black Sea province of Giresun after the security forces came under fire from militants of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Alucra sub-governor Armagan Onal told Anatolia news agency.

An operation was launched in the region to hunt down the militants, who managed to flee in the dark.

Giresun is not a region where the PKK is usually active, but officials said several attacks in the area in recent years show the group is seeking a foothold there.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist group by Ankara and much of the international community, has notably stepped up its attacks this year.

The army launched a large-scale crackdown against the group in the southeast of the country and amassed troops on the border with Iraq, where the militants take refuge.

The PKK took up arms for self-rule in the Kurdish-majority southeast in 1984. The conflict has claimed more than 37,000 lives.