Clashes erupted during an army operation against the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in a mountainous area in Batman province, the sources said, adding that the operation was continuing.

Two PKK militants were killed in clashes in the neighbouring province of Siirt Wednesday.

The end of winter usually brings a resurgence of violence. When the snow melts, PKK rebels can move out from their mountainous hideouts in Turkey and neighbouring Iraq.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist group by Ankara and much of the international community, took up arms against Ankara in 1984, sparking a conflict that has claimed about 45,000 lives.